My Heart Belongs To You…Again
by Dinnerroll
Summary: A huge fight causes Harry and Hermione to go separate ways. Can they reunite, amend the past, and fall in love…again?
1. The Fight

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

Rating: PG-13 just in case

Summary: A huge fight causes Harry and Hermione to go separate ways. Can they reunite, amend the past, and fall in love…again?

Disclaimer: They aren't mine and never will be.

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**Chapter One: The Fight**

It was finally over. The war between good and evil. The prophesized fight. The Final Battle. And seventeen year old Harry Potter fought, overcame, and lived to tell the tale. He had beat Voldemort and many Death Eaters were put in Azkaban or sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss.

The whole magical world was thrown into celebration. It had been their greatest victory for good and thankfully, there had been very, very few losses. Nearly everyone who followed Harry into battle returned, causing even more celebration.

As thankful and joyous as Harry should have been, he wasn't. He couldn't be. Not after what she did. He knew he should have confronted her but he couldn't. If it had been anyone else, he would have. But not her. So he avoided her. As she stood staring out the window of the boy's dormitory, he couldn't stop himself from thinking of the situation…or her. He got so lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear her open the door, cross the room, and sit on his bed.

"Harry." God her voice. It alone could make him weak at the knees. "Harry, why are you avoiding me? I know you are. Out of every wizard or witch anywhere celebrating, you should be the one celebrating most. But you're not. Harry, please talk to me."

Her voice nearly broke his heart. The pain and hurt stood out as though she screamed it. He wanted to hug her, kiss her, and apologize for everything. He wanted to tell her everything he felt. But he couldn't…he wouldn't let himself.

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Why not? What did I do? Harry tell me please, I don't understand!"

He exploded. All his built up anger boiled over and he couldn't stop himself. "What did you do? God do you really not get it? I'll say it slowly. I do not want to talk to you! It's really not that hard to understand."

_You don't even have the courage to look at her. But it is her isn't it? That's you excuse isn't it? 'It's not my fault! She was the one who screwed everything up! Besides, she always had a power over me she didn't know about.' You coward._

"Harry, why are you being like this? We're best friends, why can't-"

"Yeah well we aren't anymore! Just leave me the hell alone Hermione!"

The room went dead silent. Hermione couldn't believe he had said that. She still didn't understand but stood up anyway. "Ok Harry. I'll leave you alone." She walked toward the door but stopped when she reached it and looked back at him once more. "Just so you know, I still love you. I'll always be here for you if you don't want to be left alone. Always."

She turned and opened the door just as her tears started to fall. She walked out the door, not knowing Harry was watching her. He grabbed his lamp and threw it at the door as hard as he could. He sunk down to the ground, hugged his knees, and cried until he ran out of tears.


	2. After Three and a Half Years

My Heart Belongs to You…Again

**Chapter Two: After Three and a Half Years**

"Why Miss Granger! So lovely to see you again!" His blue eyes became full of life behind his glasses as he saw his former student in front of him.

"Hello Professor Dumbledore! I'm glad to see you again as well."

A twenty-year old Hermione walked to her old Headmaster and gave him a big hug. It had been 3 ½ years since she left Hogwarts, but she always made sure she stopped by to visit every so often. Each and every time she made sure to see Dumbledore. As she looked around the office, she noticed nothing had changed since her seventh year.

"I'm so glad you came to visit. How have you been?"

"Oh I've been wonderful, just a little busy at times."

"Yes, I imagine being a Healer keeps you quite busy at times."

"It's definitely different than school. I miss this place sometimes." She took another look around the room. "My best memories are from here. This place was the greatest thing that happened to me. It gave me everything, me job, education, as well as the great friends I meet here." She laughed as she remembered the great times she'd had with her best friends. "Oh the fun times we had, me and Ron and -"

Her smile vanished instantly. _Harry_. His name made her heart ache, and she nearly cried out in pain. _Harry. Oh my Harry_. Dumbledore noticed her change in attitude as soon as her smile left her face.

"Ah yes, Mr. Potter. I understand he's a very sensitive subject to you." His voice was so calming, yet very empathic. It always was. "Have you heard from him at all?"

She shook her head. "Not from him, no. Of course, I keep up with news about him, which isn't very hard to do. I'm so proud he's top Auror. We worked so hard for it, during and after school."

"Yes, he's done very well. You're a very amazing woman Miss Granger." She looked up at him, confused. He had a twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his face. "Even though you and Mr. Potter had a disagreement at the end of seventh year and haven't spoken since, you still care about him when most others would have made an effort to forget his name. He was and, even though he may not know it, is still very lucky to have you."

She looked down, almost unable to hold in her tears. "I miss him so much. He mattered more than anyone else to me. He still does."

"And you still matter to him. He knows it. You will always matter to him."

She looked at Dumbledore and smiled. "Thank-you sir. I hope you're right. Well, I'm due at work soon. I'm glad I got to see you again."

He smiled. "I'm glad you came. Come visit again whenever you can."

"I will. Goodbye sir." She left his office and made her way to Hogsmeade. Then she apparated straight to St. Mungo's. When she arrived, she noticed healers rushing to and from several rooms.

"Granger!" She turned and saw her boss running at her. When he reached her, he grabbed her arm and dragged her back the direction he came. "We need you. There was a Death Eater attack and several Aurors were injured. Many are fine, but one got hit badly. You're the only one who can help him!"

They arrived at a room with several healers already there. Hermione looked to see who the Auror was, but a healer was in the way. She quickly got prepped and turned back to the bed. She looked at the poor man's face and gasped. She suddenly could barely breath and felt lightheaded. She felt weaker than she ever had. _Hermione he needs you._ She quickly pushed her feelings aside and tried to regain her composure as best she could. She had to be strong. She had to save him.


	3. The Lily Potter in Him

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Three: The Lily Potter in Him**

She had never felt like this before. She was tired, yet wide-awake. She was calm, yet nervous. She was happy, yet angry. She was every emotion she could think of. And it was all because of him.

She had never worked so hard to save someone's life. There had been so many problems. She almost lost him several times. But she wouldn't let him leave. She was going to put up the fight of her life to save him. He wasn't leaving her again.

It had been nine days since he was brought in, and he was recovering fast. They were just waiting for him to wake up. They expected him to any day, so Hermione barely left his side. It wasn't very hard for her to be professionally with him. He was the man who defeated Voldemort. Everyone wanted him to get better. So he got very special treatment. Since she was one of the best healers, Hermione was assigned to take care of him.

It was emotionally hard. It nearly killed her every time she saw him. His emerald green eyes shut for who knows how long. He was right there. But he wasn't. He was somewhere else, and Hermione knew that. So she waited for him to come back and wake up.

She stayed day and night, going home every so often but just for a few hours. She didn't want him to wake up alone. And she wanted to be there when he did. She knew he would. It was Harry. If anyone could do anything, Harry could do it.

She sat in a chair by his bed and just stared at him. He really hadn't changed much since he was seventeen. He still had jet-black hair that was untamable. He still looked exactly like his father, even more since his eyes were closed. The one thing he got from his mother didn't show now. Hermione wanted to see the Lily Potter in him more than anything. She reached out to touch his hand, just to let him know she was there.

Suddenly, he squeezed her hand back. She held her breath and waited. He stirred a bit and shifted around. Then, very slowly, his beautiful emerald eyes opened again. He looked around the room a bit, squinting. He looked at Hermione and squinted extra hard. "Excuse me, but do you see my glasses anywhere?"

Hermione was so happy. He's awake! She couldn't do anything but stare at him. He waited just a minute. "Miss?"

She snapped back into reality. "Oh yes, I'm sorry." She grabbed his glasses off the nightstand next to his bed. "Welcome back Harry." She slid his glasses on so he could finally see. He looked at her and just froze. He just stared at her. "Her-Hermione?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah it's me. Do you remember anything that happened to you recently?"

"Um, yeah we went to a location where Death Eaters were supposedly hiding out. We found a group of them, and they put up a fight. Wait, how long have I been here?"

"Several Aurors were hurt, but you got it worst. You were brought in unconscious, and several healers worked on for many hours. We almost lost you a few times, but you hung in there. You've been in here for nine days."

He just stared at her again. "You-you took care of me?"

She suddenly got mad. "No, I let you die. Real fast there Harry."

"I didn't mean it that way. I just didn't know you were a healer."

"Yeah, well maybe you would have if you had contacted me! But no, I didn't get a single word from you for 3 and ½ years! You just shut me completely out of your life without an explanation! You just left me! Do you have any idea who much I've missed you? You were everything to me! And you just pushed me away! Wait what was it…'Just leave me the hell alone Hermione!' Do you remember that?"

She had tears stinging in her eyes. There was no way she was going to cry in front of him. She turned her back. She couldn't look at him. He was silent for a little while. Then he spoke really softly, almost in a whisper.

"I know I don't deserve this, but I'm going to ask anyways. Will you-listen to me? I know I have no right to ask you that, but I made a mistake 3 years, 5 months, 3 weeks, and 6 days ago that's haunted me that long. Please Hermione."

She froze. _Did he really know the exact days and weeks? Had it really haunted him that long? _She wanted to believe him but didn't know it she should. She slowly turned around and looked him straight in the eye. He was pleading, begging, hoping she would listen. He needed her to listen. And she saw it in his eyes. She slowly made her way over to him and sat in the chair again.

"I promised I'd always be there for you a long ago. I said always." She hesitated. "Ok Harry. I'll listen."


	4. I’m Following My Heart

My Heart Belongs to You…Again

**Chapter Four: I'm Following My Heart**

They sat in silence for just a moment, just staring at each other. Harry knew exactly what he wanted to say, but he didn't know how to say it. She had to know everything. So he took a deep breath and began to talk.

"I don't really know how to put everything, so if I stumble at times, just please hang in there and listen. You have to know everything. I made a mistake because I didn't follow my heart. So this time, I'm following my heart. I'm going to try to explain everything, and there are probably parts you won't want to hear. But please just listen to all of it and it might take some time-"

She put up her hand to stop him. "Harry, you're rambling."

"Sorry. Like I said, it's going to take some time, and I'll probably fumble a lot." He paused and took another deep breath. "Ok here I go…before the war came, we all knew it was coming. This part you already know, but I need to say it. And we also knew there was a chance that people were going to die. There was no stopping it. I realized that after Sirius was taking from me fifth year. Death comes when it's someone's time. And I knew that whoever went to the battle with me might not come back, so I tried to accept that. But with you…everything was different. I tried to talk to as many people as I could before we left so I could say good-bye. But out of every single person, I had to talk to you, and I knew exactly what I was going to say. So when I finally got you alone, I tried. But instead of telling you what I really wanted to say, I panicked. I got so terrified because I knew you wanted to come with me. Which means I might have lost you. It scared the hell out of me. I had already lost mom, dad, and Sirius. I was not going to lose you too. There was no way I was going to let that happen."

He paused, unsure as what to say next. Thankfully she didn't say anything. She just waited for him to continue. He prepared himself and went on.

"So I asked you…no I begged you not to come. I pleaded with you and asked you not to come. You didn't fully understand why, but you promised me you wouldn't. You promised me Hermione! And then there we are, fighting for our lives, and you're coming! After you promised me you wouldn't. Do you have any idea how terrified that made me? I couldn't focus on anything. I just kept looking over to you and praying that you would be ok. I kept hoping that you wouldn't leave. You lied to me Hermione! You looked me in the eye and promised you wouldn't come, and then you showed up anyways! What was I supposed to do?"

Hermione thought back to the moment before Harry and the others left, trying to remember all of their conversation. _You did promise you know. Yes, he was wrong to shut you out, but you did break a promise to him. _

"Harry, you were outnumbered! Everyone was scared you guys wouldn't last, so more and more people were going. I had people I loved fighting that battle, and I wasn't doing anything! What was I supposed to do, just wait for you all to come back, not knowing if you were alive or dead? Yes I broke a promise to you. I shouldn't have, but I did. I had to know if you were ok. I was so worried I didn't remember the promise I made to you. Besides," her voice dropped to a whisper, "You didn't lose me."

He knew that had to be very hard for her to say. It was the hardest thing he had ever done to tell her what he just had. "But I could have. I wouldn't have been able to deal with that. I couldn't lose you. I couldn't live if I did. But I did anyways, and it was my fault. I pushed you away and lost you anyways because I was so scared to lose you. And it has killed me these past years. I wake up everyday and die a little more." His voice started to break toward the end, and he looked down. Hermione had tears in her eyes again, and she knew he did too. She put a hand on his cheek and made him look at her. He did have tears in his eyes.

"Harry, I could have lost you too. And it would have killed me if I had lost you. We all knew we were taking a huge risk, but we followed you because we trusted that you would bring us all home. And you did. Harry I'm sorry I broke my promise to you, but I had to. But I would break it again in a second if I had to."

He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "Please forgive me Hermione. I made the biggest mistake I ever could have and paid for it for 3 and ½ years. I can't do it anymore. I can't wake up every morning and not see you there. I can't go all day without your smile and laugh. I can't go to sleep every night and not have your voice sooth me to sleep. I need you. Please forgive me. Please."

He opened his eyes and looked at her. She looked right back at him, then smiled. "I've waited a long time to hear you say that again. I've missed you all this time. I can't do it anymore either."

He moved away from her and pulled her into a huge hug. She hugged back, knowing this was the place she always wanted to be, in his arms. She missed it more than anything. "I hoped every day that you would come back to me. And you have. I forgive you."

"I love you Hermione. I always have."

"I love you too Harry."


	5. Catching Up

My Heart Belongs to You…Again

**Chapter Five: Catching Up**

They hugged for what seemed like forever. It just felt so good and right. Like that was what they were supposed to do for the rest of their lives. Neither wanted to let go of the other. They finally did and decided to catch up. Hermione went and got lunch for them as fast as she could so she could get back.

"So Miss Healer, what have I missed all these years? When did you become a healer?"

"Right after school. I just slipped into it, and it's been great ever since. It gets busy and nerve-wracking sometimes, but I love it. It's what I'm supposed to be doing."

"That's great. I'm really proud of you. Me and Ron always figured that was what you would end up doing. It just seemed right for you."

She smiled. "So what about you Mr. Top Auror? That wasn't very surprising."

"Yeah, I don't know about the top," she gave him a very stern look that said 'don't-even-go-there', "ok never mind, I won't go there. You guys know me, gotta be the hero." They both laughed at that. "I mean it's dangerous, but it's exciting. I feel like I'm making a big difference in the world. It's great."

She couldn't stop laughing. Harry was very confused. "Ok, Hermione this is just rude now!" He started pouting, forcing her to laugh harder. She finally stopped and took some breaths.

"I'm sorry. It's just funny, seeing as you're the guy who defeated Voldemort and all. You're definitely one of a kind. You did the greatest thing ever for not only the magical people but muggles too, and you still want to help the world. You're an amazing guy."

He grinned that James Potter grin he inherited. "That's why you love me."

"Oh my god baby! I was so worried!" A very Barbie-doll blonde stood in the doorway. She was also one of a kind. She had obvious beach blonde hair, very cold gray eyes, way too much make-up, and clothes that would make anyone think she worked a corner in Diagon Alley somewhere. She ran over to Harry and made sure to bump into Hermione on the way. He seemed less than enthusiastic she was there and didn't hug her back. She pushed Hermione out of the chair and sat down. "Baby, I was so worried. I heard just a few days ago, but I didn't get the chance to visit. I was so worried. Is there anything I can…" she stroked his arm seductively, "do for you?"

Harry looked like he would have liked to throw her out on her ass. "Yeah actually," he took his arm away from here, "you can give my friend her seat back and apologize for throwing her out of it."

She looked over at Hermione as though she were less than her. "Oh I'm sorry." She got up slowly, and Hermione retook her seat. The blonde glared at Hermione. Hermione glared right back.

"It's not a problem. So how do you two know each other?"

She was speaking more to Harry, and thankfully he responded. "I'll tell you later."

The woman gave a deep sigh. "So, Harry how are you baby?" She tried to sound concerned but didn't succeed.

"I'm fine Sarah. I don't mean to be rude, but Hermione and I were catching up so would you mind coming back later or something?" Hermione smiled. He could say anything and be the sweetest guy in the world about it.

She didn't look hurt. She looked more offended. "Fine sure, I guess. I'll see you later baby." With that she turned and left the room. Harry sighed and shook his head.

"God I can't stand her."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Really? She seemed to love you…baby."

"Yeah, she's an unhappy ex I guess. She won't ever leave me alone. It's so frustrating!"

Hermione laughed. "Probably because you're so sweet and such a great guy. You're also not bad on the eyes." She accidentally let that last one slip and blushed. He blushed too.

"More like she misses the stories and pictures in the paper. That and she won't get any money, since I'm 'so loaded' as they like to say."

"Harry you're a hell of a lot more than that." He faked laugh, and she grabbed his hand. "I'm serious. You're a wonderful guy that would make anyone happy. And don't you forget it."

He looked at her, and they smiled at each other. "Thanks. So, when do I get out of here?"


	6. People in Love

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Six: People in Love**

Harry was finally allowed to leave after another week in the hospital, just to be safe. Hermione had taken great care of him, and he was nearly back to normal. He couldn't really walk on his own, but he was fine other than that.

Hermione was doing one last check on him before releasing him. Another healer was in the room to ask Harry some questions to make sure he could take care of himself.

"Now Mr. Potter, do you live alone?"

"Do house elves count?"

He knew Hermione would have something to say about that, but she laughed. "No Harry, house elves don't count."

He shrugged. "Then no."

The other healer looked concerned and shook his head. "Mr. Potter in your type of injury, we heavily advise that you stay with someone and try to take it very easy on yourself. We don't want you to take a spill down the stairs and risk more injury. Is there anyone who you could have stay with you for a couple of weeks?"

Harry had been watching Hermione while the healer was talking, so it took him awhile to process everything. Hermione looked up at him and had a thought pop into her head.

"I can stay with you."

She spoke to Harry instead of the healer. She wanted to be there to help Harry. They had regained a lot of what they had lost over his stay in the hospital, and Hermione wasn't ready to let him go yet. She wanted to be able to talk to him whenever she felt like it. She liked giving him a big hug every night and receiving one back before going home. She liked returning in the morning and watching him sleep until he woke up. She didn't want any of it to leave.

Harry was surprised she had said that. He wanted to ask Hermione but didn't know if she was ready for that. It wasn't like they would move their relationship up a level, but she would have to take care of him. Harry wanted to rely on her more than anyone else though. He was so happy to have her back in his life he didn't want to let go. He liked her there all the time. He had missed her so bad all this time, and he finally had her back.

"Would you? I mean, do you mind, you know, taking care of me and everything?"

She smiled. He was so cute when he worried. "No of course I wouldn't mind. I would love to."

The healer smiled. "Great. Hermione just has to finish and sign the release forms, and you Mr. Potter are out of here."

He got up to leave to give them some time. Hermione was sitting right next to Harry, holding his hand. The healer smiled. He knew there was something else there. It was so obvious in just the way they looked at each other. But they probably had no idea. _People in love. Geeze._ He hoped they would figure it out sometime and left the room.

"Hermione, are you sure you don't mind taking care of me?"

She smiled. "I'm sure. Do you not want me to? Or did you have someone else in mind instead?" Her smile dropped. _Please say no, please say no!_

He smiled at her. "Of course. I didn't have anyone else in mind. Plus I really wanted to ask you, but I wasn't sure if you would be ok."

Almost instantly, her smile came back on her face. "I'm glad. So, what are the plans? I mean, how are we going to do this?"

"Well, I was thinking that you could stay at my place, since it's so freaking big. Not that your's isn't nice, which I bet it is." He started to worry, until she gave a reassuring smile. "I mean, I have some house-elves," she gave him a glare that could have scared Dumbledore, "who are paid and get time off. The whole 's.p.e.w.' thing stuck with me so I decided to make it as easy as possible on them. Plus, they can quit whenever they want. They all may someday…except for Dobby. I swear, he's going to be with me until he dies. So is that ok with you?"

"Yup, works for me."

He squeezed her hand, and she squeezed his back. "Now that it's all settled, could you sign those papers so I….we can go home already?"


	7. Going Home

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Seven: Going Home**

Harry nearly injured himself more when he almost jumped for joy when he was finally allowed to leave. He was allowed to change on his own, as long as he sat as much as he could while doing it, but other than that, Hermione was going to have to help. They argued for quite some time about him apparting home.

"Hermione, I'll be fine. It's not like I'm going to apparate into a wall or kill myself."

"Harry, you've just been in a bad, bad attack. You need more time to heal."

"I've had two freaking weeks to heal, and I feel almost back to normal. Yeah, it's harder to do some stuff than before, but I can still do stuff. I'm not broken."

"Harry, no one is saying you're broken. It's just that you need to let your body heal and not rush so much to get back to everything you used to do. It's going to take time sweetie that's why I'm going with you. It's going to be very hard, on both of us, but you have to go slow and let me help you. I really don't want to see you back here ever, let alone very soon."

He finally understood why this was hard on her. It was going to be hard on her too. The last thing he wanted to do was make it harder on her.

"I know you're concerned, but I feel so useless. I can't do anything on my own anymore. I don't want to be a pain, yet I'm going to be since I can't do anything. Please can I just try to apparate and if it effects me, I'll be a good boy and do everything you say from then on. Please Hermione! Pretty please?"

He gave her a very pouty face that she knew she couldn't say no to. She sighed. "Alright fine. But I swear I'm going to be very pissed if you get hurt. And you will listen to me no matter happens. I know what I'm doing, and I promise I'll let you do anything you can when you're strong enough to. I'm not here to be your boss, I'm here to take care of you." She smiled at him. "You're still a very stubborn guy Mr. Potter."

He grinned. "Why yes I am Ms. Granger. It's a trait we Potters are very proud of. We pass it down each and every generation. It also helps a lot with the ladies. Which I think explains why mom and dad got married, seeing as how she couldn't stand hi for years."

Hermione started laughing. He wasn't doing the arrogant thing very well, but he sure did look cute trying. "Alright Harry, let's get you out of here. I'm starting to get sick of this place. I'm also dying to see this big ass house of yours."

She grinned at him and helped him stand up. Once he was finally on his feet, she took his hand in hers. He looked at their fingers locked together. He looked at her only to see her looking at their fingers too. She looked up at him.

"Just in case something happens. It might be easier if I kind of help, you know."

He smiled. "Yeah. And by the way, did I ever thank you for taking such great care of me?"

She raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Just a couple of times everyday."

"Well, thank-you yet again. You're the greatest." He bent down and kissed her cheek. They both lost their breath for some reason they couldn't figure it out. It was like the kiss had sent shock waves through both of their bodies. They didn't really understand…it was just on the cheek, yet they felt an electrifying feeling go through both of them. They both kind of looked at each other and took in their faces. Finally Harry cleared his throat to break the silence. "So, um do you want to get going?"

Hermione smiled. "Why, of course. I thought you'd never ask."

Harry gave her hand a squeeze, and they both apparated.


	8. Gold Digger Sounds Fun

My Heart Belongs to You…Again

**Chapter Eight: Gold Digger Sounds Fun**

Hermione and Harry finally arrived on Harry's doorstep with a pop. They were still holding hands after they arrived. Harry grabbed on to her hand tight as he lost all feelings in his legs. He was a little out of breath and somewhat weakened. Hermione had a quick reflex and grabbed his arm. She gently set him down onto a rocking swingy on the porch."

Harry chuckled, knowing he was in big trouble. "Whoa, that was harder than I thought." Hermione gave him a very concerned look. He shook his head. "I know. I shouldn't have done that. I'll admit, I feel a little weak, but I really am fine. I don't have any pain anywhere. And I know you told me not to, so go ahead. Give me a big 'I-told-you-so'." He grinned at her, but for the first time in about a week, she didn't return it.

"Harry, I'm just worried about you. I don't want to ever have you back in St. Mungo's, I told you that already." His smile left his face. He knew she was just worried about him. "Please let me take care of you. Ok, rest on me, rely on me, annoy the hell out of me I don't care. Just let me help you. Please?"

He sighed. There was no way to win this. "Ok, Hermione. I promise I will do whatever you want me to. If you want me to stay in my bed and not move at all, that's what I'll do. Just don't baby me ok? I am a big boy, so when I can finally do something on my own, I'm going to do it on my own. Unless I feel lazy and don't want to without your help." He grinned. She couldn't resist…she grinned right back at him.

"Ok, I won't treat you like a baby. I promise. Ready to go inside now?" He nodded at her and tried to stand up. "Lean on me Harry, don't be all macho and try to do it yourself."

He sighed and gave in. He finally stood, after help from Hermione. It wasn't that hard, just took some adjusting. They walked toward the door, only to be scared out of their minds when the door flung open.

"Mr. Harry sir. Dobby has been very worried, sir." He looked over at Hermione, bowed, and turned back to Harry. After realizing whom he had seen he did a double take and gasped. "Why Miss Granger! Dobby hasn't seen miss in many years. Are miss and Mr. Harry sir being together after all these years?"

They both blushed and looked at each other. "No Dobby, Hermione and I aren't dating, but she is staying with all of us for a little while. She's going to take care of me for a few weeks. Is the guest bedroom across from mine clean?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Harry. Dobby has made sure everything has stayed just as clean as always."

"You guys could have taken a break while I was gone. I wouldn't have been mad."

"It is no problem, sir. No complaints at all. We house elves are proud to serve Mr. Harry Potter."

Harry blushed. "Thanks Dobby. Hermione, you want to see your room?"

Hermione nodded. "See you later on Dobby."

Dobby waved. "See miss again, Miss Hermione Granger."

"Dobby, you can call me Hermione. I would like you to." She smiled.

Dobby's eyes grew wide. "Oh yes, Miss Hermione."

Harry laughed. He cut Hermione off just as she opened her mouth. "Come on." They started up the stairs. "Don't expect Dobby to call you anything other than Miss Hermione, miss. He's known me since I was 12 and worked for me since I was 17, and I'm still Mr. Harry, sir."

They both burst into laughter. They reached a door that Hermione guessed was her room. They opened the door, and Hermione just gasped. The room was huge and gorgeous. It was painted light blue with a dark blue trim around the top. The furniture was shining silver that matched better than anything else would have. The bed was a canopy queen sized, with a beautiful light blue bedspread. It was huge. She could easily live in the bathroom alone.

"Harry this is beautiful." They walked over to the bed so Harry could sit while Hermione ran all around the room. Harry laughed as he watched her go from section of the room to another section and gasp. She ran into the bathroom and nearly fainted. "Harry, I think I'm going to have to marry you just for this room."

Harry burst out in laughter. "You could always change from Hermione the Healer to Hermione the Gold Digger."

She stuck her head out the bathroom and gave him a sexy look. "Gold digger sounds good to me baby."


	9. Warm, Comfortable, and Safe

My Heart Belongs to You…Again

**Chapter Nine: Warm, Comfortable, and Safe **

It was about 10:30 at night when Harry finally got situated in his room so that he could stay there for a while. It was going to be very hard for him to move around a lot until he got a little stronger, much to Harry's dislike.

"Can't I at least show you around the house? I mean, it's not that big."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. "Harry, you are going to take it very easy, especially at first. I know you heal fast, but you need to boost up your energy level first. And yes, you live in a freaking mansion Harry, it's huge!"

Harry laughed and sighed deeply. "Ok, fine. At least have Dobby show you around."

Right on cue, Dobby showed up in Harry's doorway. "Does Mr. Harry sir need Dobby's help?"

Hermione jumped at the sound of Dobby's squeaky voice, causing Harry to laugh. "Don't worry Hermione, he has a tendency to do that a lot." He turned to Dobby, still standing in the doorway. "Yes, actually, would you mind showing Hermione around for me since she won't let me leave?" He glared at her, but it quickly turned into a smile.

"Oh, yes sir Mr. Harry. Dobby would love to show Miss around." He ran over and grabbed Hermione's hand. "Come, Dobby has lots to show Miss."

She laughed. "Ok Dobby. Harry, if you need anything, do not move! Scream for me really loud so I can hear and give me a few minutes. I'll hurry."

Harry laughed. "I'll be fine Hermione. Now go before Dobby flips out."

Dobby and Hermione left Harry in his bed. He sighed and looked around, taking in his room. It seemed like forever since he had been in here. He didn't realize just how much he missed it in the hospital. He laid back and shut his eyes, feeling very relaxed and comforted.

Dobby was having a great time showing Hermione around. The house was huge, but Hermione realized it wasn't nearly as big as she thought it was. The upstairs had three bedrooms, Harry's and two guestrooms. The downstairs had a huge kitchen, causing Hermione to laugh. _Harry must still like to eat as much as he did in school. _It also had a formal dining room and a very large what seemed like ballroom. Dobby explained that it was used for Ministry parties, as well as any other party Harry felt like throwing. Hermione absolutely loved the house. It was gorgeous, but she also felt so cozy and welcomed. It was just like Harry. Warm, comfortable, and safe. She knew she would always be safe here.

After the tour, Hermione asked Dobby to make Harry something to eat and bring it up to him. As Dobby hurried back to the kitchen, Hermione went back upstairs to find Harry relaxing on his bed. He was lying back with his blanket wrapped around him at his waist. He had his eyes closed and a big grin on his face. Hermione didn't want to disturb him quite yet, so she just leaned against the doorframe and looked at him. He looked so peaceful and cozy. He finally opened his eyes and looked at her.

"So, how do you like the house?"

She smiled. "It's very you. Warm, comfortable, and safe. I love it."

He put his arm up and motioned for her to come sit by him. She walked over and laid on the bed next to him, laying her head on his chest. He wrapped one hand around her waist and laid his chin on the top of her head. They both closed their eyes, just lying like that for a long time, not talking, just taking in each other's embrace. Neither wanted to move from their positions ever. If they could have anything in the world, they would stay exactly like that forever. It felt so perfect. So perfect that they were both sound asleep within minutes. They stayed like that all night, even when Dobby came in and laid an extra blanket over their cozy, wrapped up bodies.


	10. The Morning After

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Ten: The Morning After**

Harry woke just as light began to peak into the room from the window. He yawned and looked around, his eyes falling on Hermione. He smiled. _No wonder I slept so well._ She looked like she had slept really well too. She was still asleep, and Harry wasn't ready to wake her yet. He just watched her sleep. She looked so cozy and peaceful. He didn't think they would fall asleep when she laid on him last night. They were just comfortable, being wrapped up in each other. Harry just continued to watch her sleep as Dobby came into the room carrying a tray with breakfast for both of them on it.

"Good morning Mr. Harry sir." Thankfully he had noticed Hermione was still asleep, so he made sure to whisper. "Did Mr. Harry sleep well last night with Miss Hermione?"

He knew he should have looked at Dobby when he was talking to him, but he couldn't. He couldn't tear his eyes anyway from Hermione. "Yeah, I slept wonderfully. What time did we fall asleep?"

"Oh very soon after Dobby showed Miss Hermione around. Dobby brought dinner up, but sir and miss were already sleeping. So Dobby goes and grabs a blanket for Miss Hermione and leaves for sir and miss to sleep."

"Thanks Dobby. I'm glad Hermione didn't get cold in the night. I really appreciate it."

Dobby beamed. "Dobby loves working hard for Mr. Harry. Dobby is glad he makes sir happy." He turned to leave but turned back to Harry when he reached the door. "Dobby is glad miss is staying with Mr. Harry. Dobby knows how happy it makes Mr. Harry to have Miss Hermione back. Miss is a great lady for Mr. Harry. Dobby has always known that."

Harry finally looked up at Dobby. He was just smiling. He bowed and left. Harry stared at where he had been, and then looked back at Hermione. _She's a great lady for me? He's always known that? Is she really great for him? God she's beautiful when she's asleep. She's so at peace. _He smiled and moved a hair out of her face. He wanted her to wake up, just to hear her voice, but he didn't want her to wake up. He just wanted to watch her sleep. He wondered why he was thinking all these weird things about Hermione. _What is wrong with me lately?_ He just shrugged it off. He bent down and kissed the top of her head. She stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She looked around, her eyes finally meeting Harry's. She smiled at him and yawned but didn't move from her spot.

"Morning sunshine."

She yawned again and smiled bigger. "Morning. What time is it?"

"Umm." He hadn't thought of time at all. He quickly glanced at the clock on his nightstand. "8:30. Did you sleep good?"

She nodded. "I slept great. Did you? I didn't crowd you did I? I would have moved to my room, I was just so comfortable, and the next thing I knew I was asleep."

He smiled. "I slept the best. Better than I have in a while actually. It's hard to sleep calmly sometimes, with all the dreams that come from the past, you know."

"You still have nightmares?"

He nodded. "Every so often. I haven't had any ones like I did in seventh year since then though. Just minor ones. But they do make it harder to go back to sleep."

She nodded. "I wish there was something I could do to help with that. Your bad past memories I mean."

He beamed at her. "You do. You gave me all my great memories that I get to think about once I'm awake and sometimes get to dream about after I finally get back to sleep."

She smiled. "Glad I could help." She laid her head back down on his chest. They just stayed like that for a long time, talking and relaxing. They both decided they were going to have a very lazy day with each other.


	11. Only One Warning

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Eleven: Only One Warning **

"Baby! I'm so glad you're home! Whoa, wait a minute, what is she doing here?" Dobby had just brought Sarah up to Harry's room, where Hermione and Harry were still curled up from last night. They both stopped laughing but didn't move.

Dobby was the first one to speak. "Miss Hermione is taking care of Mr. Potter. Miss-"

Sarah cut him off and turned to Hermione. "You're taking care of him? You? What good help can you give Harry?"

Dobby glared at her as though he wanted nothing better than to strangle her. "Miss Hermione has taken the best care of Mr. Potter."

She looked at him, disgusted that he would speak to her. She looked back at Hermione and Harry. "Why in the hell are you taking care of him? What do you think he's too weak to take care of himself? Or are you just so excited that the famous and rich Harry Potter was your patient that you just had to make sure you got him so you gave some reason he needed to be taken care of so you could sleep with him?"

"Sarah! Don't you dare even go there! You don't know what the hell is going on, and it's none of your goddamn business anyways! You ever say anything like that about or to her again, and you'll never step foot in my house again! Be very careful with your words Sarah, I'm only warning you once."

Both Hermione and Sarah looked at him, completely shocked. Hermione didn't think Harry would explode like that on her. She knew that he would say something, but she never thought he would yell at her like that. Sarah, on the other hand, looked as though she didn't understand why he said that to her, not Hermione. Her expression changed to a softer, more victimized look. Harry knew what was coming up next.

"Your right baby. I'm sorry. I've just been so upset about your whole thing. It must have just slipped out."

"Don't apologize to me. You owe Hermione the apologize."

Sarah looked ill. "Well then I'm sorry." She glanced quickly at Hermione, but her gaze went quickly back to Harry, as though he was a prize that she would lose if she didn't keep her attention on him.

Hermione just smiled at her. "It's ok. Harry's situation has been scary. But I'm here to make sure he gets better as soon as he can so he can keep being the guy we all love."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and smiled. "Yup. She's doing a great job too."

Sarah felt left out. "Well, good. But why her?"

"Well, she is a healer, and plus she's Hermione. She's great, and we were best friends all through school. And I finally admitted to her that I was a complete dumbass, so I got her back."

He grinned at Hermione. Sarah just scoffed. "Please. Baby you've never been a dumbass, and don't ever let anyone," she glared at Hermione, "tell you anything other than that. Why didn't you ask me? I would have been more than happy to take care of you!"

She batted her eyes and looked at Harry seductively. Hermione started laughing uncontrollably, causing Harry to laugh. "Yeah, I've been a dumbass a couple of times actually, and I know it. Ok Hermione, you can stop laughing now." Hermione had continued to laugh the entire time. Harry started to pout, causing Hermione to laugh even harder, which caused Harry to laugh too. Sarah just kept sighing and clearing her throat. They finally stopped laughing, even though Hermione's face was bright red. Sarah just smiled and stared at Harry.

"You know baby, I could stay and help take care of you. It would be my pleasure."

"No, I don't think I'm that much trouble. I bet Hermione can handle me. Can you?"

Hermione pretended to think really hard. "I think I can manage."

Harry turned back to Sarah. "Thanks for the offer."

"Fine. I'll stop by later on sometime, just in case you need me." She walked over to Harry and kissed him on his cheek. Harry and Hermione still hadn't moved for their positions, but Hermione started to when Sarah walked over. Harry tightened his grip on her waist, telling her he wanted her to stay, not Sarah. She whispered a quick goodbye in Harry's ear, glared at Hermione, and made a dramatic exit. Harry sighed and held on to Hermione tight.

"I swear, one day I'm going to either kill her or me. Thank-you for not being like her."

Hermione smiled and smuggled closer to Harry. "My pleasure. So…you still haven't told me how you two know each other."

"Yeah I know." Harry sighed. "Alright, here we go."


	12. With You

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Twelve: With You**

Harry knew he had to start sometime, but he really hated this. He didn't like telling his really stupid past mistakes to Hermione. She may understand him best and always make him feel better, but he didn't like telling anyone about Sarah, especially Hermione.

He took a deep breath and looked at her. He looked deep into her eyes, reading her soul. He smiled, knowing she was doing the exact same thing. They could always communicate through their eyes. They couldn't do it with anyone else, just each other. It was a special thing between them they both loved. Hermione wasn't pushing this out of him…she just wanted to know it because it was part of his past. The past that he had shut her out of. It was his fault she didn't know this, and he was going to make damn sure she knew everything she missed these years.

"Ok." He sighed deeply again. He really, really hated this. Hermione, knowing him better than anyone else, understood he did. She picked up his hand and put it on hers.

"Harry, you don't have to tell me. It's ok. It's in your past, I don't need to know everything you've done."

Harry shook his head. "Yes you do. It's my fault that you don't know this in the first place. If I hadn't pushed you away, you probably would have stopped me from doing this anyway. If you want to know anything, I'm going to suck it up and tell you."

She gave him a reassuring smile, and he returned a confident one. Hermione always knew what to do to make him strong.

"Ok, so it started…I'd say about a year ago. Well, less than that, but I'd say around that amount of time. We meet at a party that was held for me for doing something for Ministry. I honestly don't remember, but that's not important. She was there for some reason and walked…no more like strutted…over to me with a drink and just started talking. I really hadn't met anyone quite like her. She wasn't like anyone at school, especially you."

"Is that a good thing?" Hermione just looked down. She almost looked sad. He grinned and cupped her face so she had to look at him.

"Of course not. It was just weird. You had been the only girl in my life forever, and you weren't anymore. It sucked, but of course, because of my large brain, it was my entire fault, and I wouldn't anything about it. But she was so different than anything. She kept flirting and hitting on me, so I decided 'what the hell?' So I guess we just kind of got together, I guess. We didn't sleep together or anything, but we dated for a while. It seemed so great. She always wanted to go places so people could see that we were together and everything. It was like she wanted to show me off and say look at this great guy I'm happy to be with! And then a few months later, I finally realized that she wasn't showing me off like that…she was showing off that she had hooked the rich and famous Boy-Who-Lived-and-Defeated-Voldemort. She didn't want to brag about me. It was all about her. The fact that she got someone rich and famous. So I broke it off. I felt like nothing. I remembered everything that's been in the news about me, the people who come up to me and want stuff signed, the friends who automatically introduce me as a prize they won for something. I remembered that you used to show me off and brag about me, and it pissed me off like nothing else." She looked positively beaten. She felt like her world just crashed. But he just smiled. "But with you," he grabbed her hand, "you were showing me off…because you were proud of me. You were so happy I was everything I was, you wanted the whole world to see me like you did. You wanted to share me with the world and introduce me as Harry, not Harry Potter. With you I was simply Harry, your best friend, not Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. And that was probably the day I missed you most. I missed you every single damn day but didn't do anything. But I remember, that day I just wanted you. I wanted you to hug me, support me, make me feel like I mattered, just like you used to. I even wrote you a letter, begging you to come and see me and to forgive me. But I thought you didn't care about me anymore. It's not like I deserved it or anything. Why in the hell should you give me the time of day when I did that to you? I hated myself that day, more than I ever have. I've lead my friends into danger, I've had people die because of me, I've killed someone Hermione, but I felt worse than I ever have because of what I did to you. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

His head just dropped. He felt so broken. He didn't know what to do. But Hermione put her hand on his cheek and made him look at her. She had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.

"Harry, you're right. I was proud to show you off to the world. The greatest thing was to introduce my best friend, Harry. I knew the real you. And I loved you everyday because you let me know the real you. You were so real to me. But no matter what I ever said about you, you always said something just as amazing about me. You were proud of me too Harry, and you showed me that. I felt so…god just special with you. I mattered more than anyone else in the world when I was with you. I don't care what you've done, don't you ever feel like you've done something wrong. We followed you into danger, people have died for you because they love you, and you killed the one person who would have killed anyone he possibly could. You've never done anything that shouldn't have been done. You matter to so many people. You've saved so many lives. You've done so much good Harry. I'm happy you let me show the world that I was with you."

They grabbed each other and just hugged each other. It was a longing for each other, but it was also just a loving hug between to friends who loved each other. They just held each other. The needed each other. They wanted each other. And they finally had each other back.

"I love you so much Hermione."

"I love you too Harry." She laughed. "So much for talking all about Sarah huh?"

They both laughed but refused to let go of each other.


	13. Feeling Destiny Together

My Heart Belongs to You…Again

**Chapter Thirteen: Feeling Destiny Together**

The last week had been a blast for Hermione and Harry. They worked everyday to get Harry back to walking on his own, and in a very short time, Hermione finally let him. It was much easier on both of them, now that Harry was at least mobile again. They had fun times, taking walks, going out for short periods of time, getting as close as they were as kids. They were both so happy to have each other back in their lives; it seemed like a wonderful dream that just continued each day. It was late at night, so of course Harry and Hermione were in the kitchens, seeing as how Harry had to eat every other hour.

Hermione smiled as she watched Harry eat. He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "What, may I ask, are you smiling at Miss Granger?"

"You, Mr. Potter. Do you have to eat every two hours? I mean it's," she looked at her watch, "12:30 at night, and you're eating! I just think it's amusing."

He looked hurt. "Are you calling me fat?" He looked down at his chest and pulled his shirt up, causing Hermione to inhale. He was so well toned and muscular. Each time she saw his bare chest, it made her gasp. "I don't think I'm fat! Am I fat? Don't lie to me! You think I'm fat! I'll never eat again!"

Hermione was laughing so hard she thought she was going to explode. Harry pushed his food away, being as dramatic as he could to add to the scene. "I think I need a hug." He started to pout, causing Hermione to smile. She stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Aw, my poor little Harry. You're not fat sweetie. You're actually very well toned. Nice muscles going on there babe." She playfully slapped his chest. He looked up at her and gave her a very naughty and mischievous grin.

"Oh, I see. That was all just a cover-up huh? Clever Miss Granger, but not clever enough!"

She looked absolutely confused. "Did I miss something?"

"Admit it! You were thinking dirty thoughts about me! You know it too! You want me!"

Hermione just stared at him, not sure what to say. Of course, she hadn't been thinking dirty thoughts about him, but what the hell? She took a step back and just stared. "I-wha-with the wha-what the hell?"

He laughed and grabbed her wrists, pulling her over to him and plopping her on his lap. He whispered in her ear. "You know you want me my sexy lady."

Hermione giggled. She leaned over and whispered in his ear. "If I wanted you so bad, I would have had you already."

Harry looked stunned. "Wow. That was a good one chick!" He thought about it for a second. "No wait…if it's a good one for you…that's bad for me…which means…dammit!" Hermione started to laugh, as did Harry. They kept laughing, but Hermione didn't leave Harry's lap. Hermione yawned and leaned on Harry's chest. He moved her hair out of her face.

"Are you tired?"

She nodded against his chest. "But I don't want to sleep yet. I'm not ready to. What about you?"

"I'm still awake. Do you want to take a walk around the grounds? There's a really pretty clearing in the woods, it's not that far."

She smiled. "Of course."

They grabbed their coats and headed outside. They walked to the forest near Harry's house, and Harry held her hand as he led her to the pathway. "Don't worry, it's safe. I made sure it would be."

She smiled. "I knew it would be. I remember how much you love walks. We would always take walks remember? That's what we did."

He sighed. "Yeah I remember. Every time I thought about you so much that I couldn't do anything, I would take a walk. Every time a memory of you suffocated me, I would take a walk. Whenever I couldn't take another thought of you, another feeling, another ounce of you, I would take a walk." He laughed. "God I sound sad."

She squeezed his hand. Before she could say anything, she lost her breath. They were at the most beautiful clearing she had every seen. They were on a hill, overlooking a little lake. It was surrounded by trees and with the moonlight hitting the water it shined like mirror. It was beautiful. Even the air seemed different. It was such a magical place, away from the world, away from other people, away from everything. It was just the two of them, in a totally different world. She heard Harry take a deep breath beside her.

"I love it here. It's so…peaceful. Like no one else in the world can get here. Like it's just us. There's no one else at all. No one."

Hermione sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. They were still holding hands, and Harry wrapped his other hand around her waist. "It is amazing. I can easily see why you love it. I love being here, with you, in this place. It's like…"

"…everything is how it is supposed to be." They looked at each other and just smiled. Hermione yawned, and Harry did to a few seconds later. "Let's go back to the house. It's getting late."

Hermione nodded, and they headed back, still holding hands. They felt as though everything was just how it was destined to be, glad that they were feeling it together.

**Author's Note: I want to apologize for taking so long to update. I had finals all of last week, so I refused to even go near , which nearly drove me mad! I finally allowed myself to sign back on yesterday night, and I caught up with all of my favorites. (I read several of the stories on a daily basis, and I always check the new ones for Harry/Hermione and Lily/James) I updated my James and Lily story, but I made the mistake of listening to The Killers as I started this update. So I sang and danced to them (they're a great band, listen to them if you haven't heard them, especially Mr. Brightside) instead of updating. I was too tired afterward, so I just went straight to sleep. So I apologize again. I hope you liked it!**


	14. Completion, Destiny, and Love

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Fourteen: Completion, Destiny, and Love **

Harry slowly got better and better, but neither Hermione nor Harry would admit it. Harry could do pretty much everything on his own. He really wouldn't need Hermione to help except for the fact that he would get really dizzy and sickly feeling every so often. It was an annoying side-affect of the spell he got hit with. He was doing really well, but Hermione wasn't leaving anytime soon. They weren't ready to not share a house and a bed (which they had been doing for quite some time, but they never went farther than sleeping!). They liked waking up in the morning with each other, then going to bed that night with each other. They didn't want anything to change. Hermione was fast asleep in her room, so Harry bent down and kissed her right next to her ear. She smiled and stretched but didn't open her eyes.

"Morning beautiful." Harry sat on her bed next to her, and she made herself comfortable around him. She smiled and finally opened her eyes.

"Are you always up before I am?"

He grinned. "I believe so, especially today. Tonight, you and I are going out to a nightclub. It's a muggle one that isn't that far away. Sound good?"

She nodded and closed her eyes, stretching again. "What time are we going?"

"We'll leave at probably around 9. Does that work?"

She nodded again. "Gives me plenty of time to shop. I need an outfit. Any suggestions?"

"Just get whatever…dress, jeans, anything. Hell, don't wear clothes."

She opened her eyes suddenly and playfully slapped his arm. "Harry James Potter!"

He laughed. "Just making sure you're awake!" She grinned and got up. She kissed him on his cheek and headed toward the bathroom.

"I'm going to go shower."

He nodded. After the heard the door shut, he laid back on the bed. He buried his face in her pillow and just laid there. After several minutes, he got up, headed out to his room, and began to figure out what he was going to wear tonight.

Harry sat at the bar, glancing every five seconds at the door. Hermione had been running a little late, so she told him to just meet her at the club. He hadn't been waiting long at all; he was just anxious to see what she picked out to wear. He just took a sip of his drink when he heard his name being called. He looked and saw, unfortunately, Sarah running at him. She was wearing big high heels, a reddish colored eye shadow with bright red lipstick, and a tight red dress that showed too much cleavage.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're here! I'm so happy to see you. Did that Heronkia girl finally leave?"

He glared at her for a second, and then smiled. "No actually, Hermione should be here any minute."

Suddenly, his whole body erupted in goose bumps as he felt hot breath against his ear. "Talking about me are you?"

He spun around and saw Hermione. He really didn't see her…he gaped at her. She was in a very tasteful jean skirt and a tight but not too tight black halter top. She had high heels on that made her just slightly taller than she usually was. Her hair was in loose curls in a ponytail with a few strands of hair around her face and a light gold colored eye shadow. She looked amazing.

"Hermione you look…" He couldn't even finish his sentence. She took all words out of his mouth. She got worried, seeing as how he didn't say anything.

"Do I look o.k? I had no idea what to get, but I didn't want to get too dressed up. I also didn't want to look underdressed so…"

He smiled and put a finger to her lips. "You look amazing Hermione. You really do."

She smiled. He reluctantly took his hand off of her lips, and they sat down. Sarah stood right in front of them. "Oh Harry, can we please dance? Please? I promise we'll have fun!"

"Sorry, but since Hermione just got here, I'm going to sit with her for awhile. Maybe we can dance later ok?"

She pouted and sighed. "Fine. I'll be back," she tapped his arm, "You know I can't resist you that long!" She laughed and swept her hair behind off her shoulder. She sped off toward the dance floor and grabbed a guy to dance with, making sure to stay within their eyesight. Harry sighed. Hermione grabbed his hand.

"I'm sorry I was late. I had a shoe issue."

He smiled and squeezed her hand. "I'm just glad you're here." They chatted, laughed, and just had an overall good time. Sarah demanded a few dances, but Harry refused to let her ruin their night. When it hit about 11:30, they were both getting ready to go home. Sarah ran over and put her hand on Harry's leg.

"Come on baby, one more dance for me? Please?"

He looked at Hermione, who was looking at the dance floor. "Actually," he said, looking at Hermione instead of Sarah, "I just realized Hermione and I haven't danced yet." Hermione looked at him, and he stood up. "Hermione would you like to dance with me?"

She nodded. Harry took her hand and led her to a spot on the dance floor. A song had just ended, and 'I'm Lost Without You' by Blink 182 was just starting. Hermione gasped and smiled. "I love this song." Harry just grinned at her and placed a hand around her waist, still holding her hand with his other. She put her other hand around his neck, and they swayed with the music.

**I swear that I can go on forever again  
Please let me know that my one bad day will end  
I will go down as your lover, your friend  
Give me your lips and with one kiss we begin  
**

Harry took her hand that was in his and placed it around his neck. He placed his hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him.

_  
_**Are you afraid of being alone  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you  
Are you afraid of leaving tonight  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you  
**

She looked up at his eyes, smiled, and rested her head on his shoulder. He put his head on hers and continued to sway with her to the music.

_  
_**I'll leave my room open till sunrise for you  
I'll keep my eyes patiently focused on you  
Where are you now I can hear footsteps, I'm dreaming  
And if you will, keep me from waking to believe this  
**

Harry was having a continuous battle with himself. It was all so right; almost too right. It was amazing and great and…he couldn't even describe it. He hadn't felt it before. He knew he loved Hermione, but what was the limit of his love?

Hermione was thinking almost the exact same thing. Everything felt so right it was like it was wrong. It was too perfect. She loved Harry…but was she _in_ love with him?

**Are you afraid of being alone  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you  
Are you afraid of leaving tonight  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you  
**

They both somewhat pulled away from each other, not letting go, just enough to stare into each other's eyes. They had stopped dancing and were just holding on to each other. Harry's face was so close to her face they could feel each other's breaths. Their minds were both yelling a million different things at them. But their hearts only said one thing to them.

_Kiss her._

_Kiss him._

**Are you afraid of being alone  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you  
Are you afraid of leaving tonight  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you  
Are you afraid of being alone  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you  
Are you afraid of leaving tonight  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you  
**

"Harry-" She never finished because at the sound of his name, he captured her lips with his. It was as though something had exploded inside of them. They continued to kiss, adding more heat and passion. His tongue playfully teased her lips, which drove them both insane. Hermione slowly parted her lips, and their tongues explored every inch of each other's mouths. Hermione ran her hand up into Harry's hair as Harry pulled her hips, causing them to be even closer. This was a kiss neither had ever experienced before. It wasn't a just a kiss between people who cared for each other. It was a kiss that released every emotion they had felt for each other since they were at Hogwarts. It was a kiss between two people who had gone to hell and back together many times, each time becoming closer and closer. It was their first kiss with someone they didn't love…it was someone they needed, they wanted, they craved…someone they were in love.

**  
I'm lost without you  
I'm lost without you  
I'm lost without you  
I'm lost without you  
I'm lost without you **

They finally broke apart and just stared into each other's eyes. Neither one said a word; they weren't needed. They knew how the other felt because they were feeling the same thing. Completion, destiny, and love.

**Author's Note: (smiles broadly) Hope it was done to your satisfaction. The kiss I mean…the story is not over yet, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. You think I could end the story without letting Hermione beat the crap out of Sarah for trying to take her man? Lots more to come! I had a very fun time writing this chapter, I hope you like it. **


	15. Don't Want You To Stop

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Fifteen: Don't Want You To Stop**

To her own surprise, Hermione woke up rather early. She looked over and saw that it was only 7:30. Light was barely peeking through the drapes, just enough so she could see the room. She noticed she had on the same shirt she wore last night and a pair of Harry's pants by the feel of them. She couldn't believe she was up so early. She couldn't recall a time she had slept better. It was a deep sleep full of dreams she couldn't remember now but knew she had enjoyed. She was just about to get up when she felt something across her stomach. She glanced down and saw an arm lying across her stomach, holding her waist. She looked to her right and smiled.

Harry was sleeping on his stomach, half of his face buried in a pillow. He was on the edge of his pillow, his face right next to where Hermione's face had been. He didn't have a shirt on, just a pair of his sweat pants, and he still had his glasses on somehow. He had a slight grin on his face, which he must have kept from last night. She smiled bigger as she remembered what happened. She reached over and brushed a few strands of hair out of Harry's face. She leaned over slowly and kissed his face right next to his lips, trying not to wake him up. Unfortunately for her, she failed.

Harry's bright green eyes slowly opened, and he focused on her. He smiled broadly and repositioned his face so he could see her better. "Morning gorgeous."

"Morning sweetie. Did you sleep ok?"

"I slept great. Wonderful. Amazing…" She laughed. "What about you?"

"Same here. Better than I have in a long time actually." He nodded.

"Been up long?" She shook her head, and he nodded again. He hugged her waist tighter, and she scooted closer. He flipped over so he was lying on his back, and she laid her head on his chest. Neither said anything for a while, until Harry finally broke the silence.

"Are you…ok with what happened last night? At the club?"

She looked up, still resting her chin on his chest and smiled at him. "Yes. Are you?"

He smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "Yes. I just wanted to make sure you were. I was worried you…weren't."

She stared deep into his eyes. "That's just like you Harry. Making sure everyone else is happy above you." She grinned. "It's one of the reasons I love you."

He closed his eyes and kissed her. She kissed him back; it was just a very gentle kiss. Harry pulled away and kissed her forehead again. "I love you Hermione. I always have. Ever since I met you on the train, coming in like you owned the place, showing off your magical ability." They both laughed. "I think that was the first real magic I ever saw actually."

Hermione grinned and bit her lower lip. She reached up and kissed him. She pulled away and smiled at him. "I love you too Harry. Since the same time I guess. Every since I met you, so worried and almost lost in this big world of magic, amazed at everything around you." She giggled. "You were so cute."

"I still am. Aren't I? I'm still cute right?"

She laughed and sat up. "Yes Harry, you're still cute." They both laughed, Harry stopping suddenly and just looking at her.

"I really have loved you forever Hermione. You've been everything to me. No one's ever been able to measure up to you. Ever. No matter what I've done, no matter what's been said about me, no matter what I've said, you always been the only one there for me. You've never left me. You've always been in my heart, taking up so much room no other girl can come in." He laughed. "Ok, you're supposed to stop me when I get corny like that!"

She smiled at him. "What if I don't want you to stop?" They both smiled at each other. "Now, Mr. Cutie, if you don't mind, I'm going to go take a shower." She stood up and headed toward the bathroom, stopping halfway there. She turned back and kissed Harry again, longer than the previous times. She pulled away and walked toward the door, Harry watching her the whole time, even after the door closed and the water turned on.


	16. Moulin Rouge

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Sixteen: Moulin Rouge**

"No Satine! Don't sleep with the Duke, you don't love him! You love Christian, go sleep with him!"

Harry and Hermione were curled up together on Harry's bed, watching one of her favorite muggle movies, Moulin Rouge. Harry hadn't seemed overly thrilled but was willing to watch it with an open mind. He got so completely sucked into the movie that he talked as though the characters could hear him. Hermione, who was lying comfortably on Harry's chest, laughed at each outburst.

"They're in love and their relationship'll be ruined and they love each so much and…she can't sleep with him! Hermione!"

Hermione laughed and looked up at him. He was glued to the screen. The look on his face was almost exactly like Christian's. She smiled at him and continued to watch the movie until the credits rolled.

Hermione turned the movie off, then looked up at Harry, smiling at his expression. "So what'd you think?"

Harry just sat there and stared into space. "It was by far the greatest love story I've ever seen. I can't believe Satine died though. Poor Christian."

Hermione kissed his chin. "You're the greatest Harry. Most guys wouldn't watch a chick flick, even with their girlfriend." Harry smiled at her. He bent his head and kissed her softly on her lips, wrapping an arm around her waist. After a moment, Harry pulled away and gently kissed her nose. Hermione giggled and looked at him. "So you really liked the movie?"

Harry nodded. "Very much. Even for a chick flick. It was sweet. And it was different you know? Like, all the other love stories end with them living together forever and everything, but with this one, you have to feel that they were together forever, not see it. You know what I mean, or am I just being dumb?"

Hermione laughed. "No I get it. So you didn't mind that she died at the end?"

Harry shrugged. "For the story to be as great as it was, she needed to. For the story and everything, it was great. And man…as gay as this is going to sound Christian is one good crier. It just seemed so real."

Hermione nodded. "I know. He seemed to be an actor who didn't care how he looked; it was for the scene." Hermione laughed. "I never thought I would be talking about Moulin Rouge with a guy."

Harry laughed. "Us guys can be sensitive at times. But as a guy…damn Satine is hot!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed. "At least I know you haven't gone gay on me, being all sensitive. I'm glad you liked it."

Harry nodded. "It was so sweet. Just everything they did for each other…" He grinned at her with an evil look in his eye. "Want me to write you your own little song like in the movie?"

Hermione sat up, shaking her head. "No, no, no…"

Harry just kept grinning. "Hermioneeee! With hair so very pretty…" Hermione jumped off the bed and started running out of the room, laughing. Harry got up and started chasing her, singing at the top of his lungs as he went. "And oh oh she's so witty! How I love that lass…and oh such sass…damn what an ass, my love, Hermioneeee!"

Author's Note: I'm so sorry I haven't updated. And I'm also sorry this one is so short…my next chapter is much better, I think. I've had it in my brain for the longest time. This is just a filler, but I got to use a great movie! (If you haven't seen it, watch it, it's my favorite love story!) I'm working as hard as I can to update as much as I can, which is taking some time. Prepare for some serious fluffiness next chapter!


	17. Misunderstood Meanings

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Seventeen: Misunderstood Meanings**

It was the perfect day. The sun was shining brightly, there wasn't a hint of wind or clouds, and it was the perfect temperature. The weather was absolutely perfect. Harry and Hermione decided not to waste the perfect day either; they decided it should be spent swimming in the lake behind Harry's house.

Hermione walked through the pathway she and Harry had visited often. She carefully walked in her sky blue flip-flops, shorts, and big white over-shirt that covered her bathing suit. She finally made it and looked down the hill, smiling as she spotted Harry, shirtless with a pair of black trunks on.

She looked closer and noticed two other people talking to Harry. As she headed down the hill, she frowned as she saw Sarah standing in her usual tiny clothes. Her so-called bathing suit wouldn't even be considered a bikini; it showed more cleavage than it concealed, and it definitely magnified her backside assets. She looked and saw the other was a man who was busy grabbing Sarah's ass as she shrieked and laughed her head off. Hermione couldn't help but smile as she saw Harry roll his eyes at his ex-girlfriend's behavior.

Harry looked up as Hermione approached him and grinned. "Hey babe." He slipped an arm around her waist and kissed the side of her head. She smiled up at him and looked at Sarah and the other man.

"Hello again." Sarah gave her a smile due to the fact that Harry was there, but her eyes showed more hate than she could hide. Hermione turned to the man, who she was positive now she didn't know. "I'm Hermione Granger."

He looked her up and down. "Jack Parker. My, my, my am not you the pretty little thing?"

Harry's gripped tightened, but he remained calm. Hermione just raised an eyebrow and looked up at Harry. "So how do you and Jack know each other?"

Harry relaxed slightly but still didn't show any true signs that he liked this guy. "He's my neighbor...or at least my closest one."

Sarah just smiled. "Jack and I figured to go for a little swim and Jack said there was an adorable little pond down here so we figured we'd help ourselves since Harry's such a dear when we just kind of bumped into him." She batted her eyelashes at Harry. She turned towards Hermione and looked at her clothes, laughing. "You don't plan to swim in that do you?"

Hermione smiled. "Actually, until you showed up I was going to tempt Harry with some skinny dipping."

Harry raised an eyebrow at Hermione, Jack's jaw dropped, and Sarah looked like she could kill her with one hand. "Sorry to ruin your plans. But you don't mind if we join you do you Harry?"

Harry laughed. "Hell if skinny dipping is an option then it's time for you two to leave!" Hermione laughed and winked at him. "It's up to Hermione."

Hermione just shrugged. "I'm ok with whatever."

Sarah squealed. "Oh this'll be so much fun! Let's go! Come on!" She and Jack took off for the water. Sarah ran onto the dock and did a dive, somehow emphasizing her ass as she dove so Harry would notice. Unfortunately for her, his attention was on Hermione.

"Are you sure this is ok? I mean, this is my property so if you want them to leave-"

Hermione shook her head. "No it's ok. Let's just go have fun together." Harry grinned and kissed her. She shook her flip-flops off and pulled her shirt over her head, leaving Harry to lose all feelings in his knees. She had on a plain white bikini top that crisscrossed in the back. She slowly took off her shorts to show her matching bottoms that had little knots on both sides of her hips. Hermione looked at Harry's face and laughed.

"Wow Hermione…you look great." She blushed and smiled. He still had the power to make her blush uncontrollably. She was just about to head toward the lake when Harry grabbed her arm. "You weren't serious about skinny dipping were you?"

She grinned at him. "Well, no not since they're here. But…" She leaned up and spoke in whisper next to his ear. "I did tell you I've always wanted to didn't I?"

His eyes grew to the size of grapefruits. She laughed and ran toward the lake, Harry running after her. She did a cannonball into the water, loving the coolness of the water on her skin. She reemerged, Harry grinning right next to her. She splashed him and dunked him. He came up, looking positively pissed. He swam a bit ahead of her, almost as though he was going back up onto the shore. She followed him, worrying he was mad at her.

Suddenly, Harry went deep under the water so Hermione couldn't see her. She turned all around looking for him but couldn't see him anywhere. Sarah swam over to her, pissed. "Where did he go?"

Hermione was about to respond when she was suddenly being hoisted out of the water. She screamed out loud, terrified. She heard Harry's laughter and realized she was on his shoulders as he was swinging her around. "Harry James Potter! You little asshole! Put me down now!"

Harry laughed. "Ok Miss Hermione. Whatever you say." He grabbed her legs and threw her up slightly in the air, catching her wedding style. Hermione freaked out, knowing what he was going to do next.

"No Harry, not like that! That's not what I meantttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!" He laughed harder and threw her farther out into the water. She came up just as he jumped next to her. They were both laughing their heads off, splashing each other as much as they could. They finally stopped, and Harry swam right next to her.

"Sorry, I must have misunderstood what you meant. Oh I wish you could've seen your face. It was priceless." He laughed again, causing Hermione to smile. She bent forward and kissed him, neither remembering the water around them, the sun above them, or the glances being thrown their way.

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry, but the chapter I promised you needs some help. This was another filler, but now you get to help me. I have a job for all you readers and reviewers, if you're up for it!**

**For my next chapter, I need one word. Yes, it may be dumb that I'm stuck on one word, but once you read the chapter, you'll understand why it's important. Now, your job is simply this: **

**What's the one word you would associate with Harry and Hermione? Now before you all scream LOVE, that won't work. Nor will happiness or anything like that. It has to be something that Harry and Hermione would pick themselves. For example, if you always thought they shared a liking for something (such as pumpkin pie wink wink), review it. List as many words as you can think of…I know it's hard, that's why I'm asking you. Review the books, go through websites, I've done them both. I've got a few I might use but I need help! So start reviewing and tell me as many words as you can. The moment I find the one I want to use, the next chapter will be posted! Thanks!**


	18. Promises Not To Be Stopped

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Eighteen: Promises Not To Be Stopped**

Before she knew it, Hermione's birthday arrived. She woke up and stretched, slowly realizing she was twenty-one. She smiled and turned over, noticing Harry wasn't there. She got up and headed downstairs to the kitchen, following the smell of food as she went.

Hermione poked her head into the kitchen and saw Harry, his back turned away from her, cooking at the stove. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He grabbed her hands, entangling his fingers in hers, and turned around with a big smile on his face. He bent down and kissed her gently.

"Good morning. Hope you don't mind pancakes today."

She smiled and sat down at the table. "Yummy! You know I love your pancakes."

Harry laughed and brought her a plate full of pancakes. "Glad you like them. Did you sleep good?"

Hermione's smile faded slightly. "Yeah great. Did you?"

Harry nodded and headed back to cooking, leaving Hermione to sit and wonder. _Isn't he going to say anything about my birthday? Did he forget? _They talked all throughout breakfast, Hermione being slightly upset that Harry had forgotten her birthday. After they ate, Hermione went upstairs and showered, hoping Harry would remember her birthday some time.

**

* * *

**

Hermione found herself standing in front of Hagrid's hut for some odd reason unknown to her. She had received a letter earlier to meet there at 5:00. She kept hoping nothing was wrong.

She stepped up to the door and knocked lightly. She laughed to herself as she heard Hagrid try to calm Fang down. He opened the door and hugged her.

"Why 'ello Hermione. Oh it's so great to see you again. 'Appy Birthday!"

Hermione smiled. "Thanks. It's great to see you too. It's been far too long. Is anything wrong? I was a little shocked to get a letter this morning."

He laughed. "Nah, everything's fine. I'm just 'posed to give you this." He smiled and handed her a picture. She smiled as she looked at it. It was a picture of her, Harry, Ron, and Hagrid in fifth year having a snowball fight. She and Harry were trying to beat Ron and Hagrid, who were easily beating them. Hermione shut her eyes as she remembered that day, tears nearly coming from her eyes.

Hagrid smiled at her. "Turn it over…I think there might be a message on the back."

Hermione opened her eyes and looked at the back. Sure enough there was a handwritten message on the back.

_We sure were innocent weren't we? If only this moment had lasted all year…the laughing, the joking, the carefree time. You made everything shine that year. I knew everything would be ok when I was with you, even after Sirius died. You kept me alive. Through the talks, the walks, and every gesture of love, I stayed alive for you. The prophecy was too damn much…until I told you. Think back and go to the place where I finally confined it in you alone._

Hermione could do nothing but try and catch her breath. She had tears blurring her vision, her hands were shaking so hard she nearly dropped the picture. Hagrid noticed her change in manner. He gently led her over and sat her down on his chair, giving her a moment to compose herself.

She took several deep breaths and wiped the tears from her eyes, chuckling. "Was Harry the one who gave this to you Hagrid?"

Hagrid smiled. "I'm not to tell ya. Strictly told not to, no matter what. You're to follow what that note says only…I can't help in any other way I'm 'fraid. You alright?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. I wish I could stay longer, but I guess Harry wants me to do this. I've got to go." She stood up and hugged Hagrid one last time before heading to the door. "Thanks Hagrid."

"Good luck to ya. Hope you figure this whole mystery out. Take care of yourself." She headed out of the door, slowly walking toward the castle, picking her brain apart. She kept trying to remember where Harry had finally told her the prophecy. She was almost to the castle when she gasped and spun around. Their tree by the lake! How could she have forgotten? It was the one place that was just theirs…no one else knew about it to their knowledge.

Hermione took off into a sprint toward the lake, running around it slightly into the woods. She ran until she found the huge boulder that always marked the path. She slowed down, walking carefully not to trip on anything. She turned left and cut through the two trees that were just far enough part for someone to slip through. It was the only way to get through that part of the woods, which might have been the reason no one else knew about their spot.

She finally made it through all the bushes and saw their tree. She held her breath and marveled at the sight that she hadn't seen in years. It was a huge oak tree that was surrounded by many other trees, yet it stood out, not for its size but for its glow. It seemed as though the tree produced an amazing glow that always drew Harry and Hermione closer. She walked over closer and looked toward the lake. Even though the path she had just taken was the only way to get to their tree, the view of the lake was beyond breathtaking. It looked like you were looking at it from the steps of Hogwarts.

Hermione walked over to the tree and ran her hand over the letters Harry had engraved on the trunk for Christmas their seventh year. It was the greatest gift he had ever given her, not because of the letters H.P. and H.G. but because of the heart he drew around it. He had set up a beautiful picnic for her and promised her that he would place a huge heart around their initials when he got back from the war with Voldemort.

After she traced the G, an envelope appeared. She slowly reached out and grabbed it, slowly and carefully opening it. She sat down against the tree, imagining Harry laying his head on her lap like he used to as she read it.

_The one spot we always called our own. We shared everything together here. You held my hand as I confessed all my pain about Sirius's death, I held you as I told you the prophecy, you gave me what could've possibly been the only hope I experience all of seventh year. You gave me the hope that I could win and come back to you. If magic saved me, then you brought me home Hermione. I expected to see you waiting for me with the others left behind, but you showed up. Go and see the person you waited with before you came and joined the war._

Hermione again felt hot tears streak down her cheeks. If she kept this up she would look like a wreck by the end of this whole thing. She decided not to move this time until she figured it out. She thought about it, smiling before too long as she easily remembered who had stayed with her until she nearly went crazy waiting on him to get back. She waited a few more moments, content in being back to this place that she and Harry loved so much. She finally sighed and stood up, heading to the castle and stopping in front of the door of her old professor's room. She smiled and knocked lightly, moments later being engulfed in a huge hug by none other than Professor McGonagall.

"Miss Granger! I was expecting to see you. It's so wonderful to see you again!" She finally let Hermione go and beamed at her old student.

"It's so wonderful to see you too. It's been a while. Wait…what did you mean you were expecting me?"

Professor McGonagall laughed. "You know what I mean. You're little hunt you've been going on! Good job on figuring it out so far." She chuckled to herself. "Knew you would…had no doubt at all. Well I won't keep you here. Here's the next part of your 'adventure': charm.

Hermione waited for her to go on, but she didn't. "That's it? That's the whole thing?" Professor McGonagall just laughed and nodded her head. Hermione was completely puzzled. She knew the word meant something important…she remembered it from somewhere; she just couldn't put her finger on it. "Uh this is so frustrating! I know I know what it is, I just can't remember exactly! I know it was in seventh year…with Harry…beginning of the year…" She gasped. "The password! The password to get into the Head dorm since he was Head Boy and I was Head Girl. Harry made it up…'charm…the good old Potter charm!' Is that it?"

Professor McGonagall smiled. "You know I can't tell you. But if you can't put that word anywhere else, I don't think you need to ask me if you're right."

Hermione smiled. "I think I am. Am I allowed to go to the dorm?"

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Of course. Good luck!" She hugged her for a moment, then Hermione hurried to the door. "Oh and Hermione…happy birthday."

Hermione smiled and rushed to the old Head dorm, stopping only once she reached the dorm. She stared at the old doors that hid the room she and Harry had shared. They couldn't express how happy they were when they realized they would be Head Boy and Girl together. Ron was just as excited…he had been prefect for two years but always seemed to believe Harry would be Head Boy. It meant so much to both of them that they had a place they could be alone to talk. If they weren't talking at their spot, they were more than likely talking in their dorm.

The old head that protruded from the door slipped out. "Why Miss Granger. Head Girl, three years ago, correct?"

Hermione smiled. "That's me. Um…I think I'm supposed to get into the dorm, but I don't know the new password…"

"Ah yes. No worry…you're supposed to simply tell me what you think you need to. It should be apparent to you."

Hermione sighed. "Ok…charm?"

"Correct. Have fun on the rest of your adventure Miss Granger." He opened the doors, causing Hermione to smile again at their old dorm from seventh year. She marveled at it, realizing it was pretty much the same. A big fire was warming the room in the fireplace, there was still a huge desk over by one wall, and only one chair and big couch were by the fire.

Hermione walked over and sat on the couch. Harry and her had spent many nights sitting on it, talking about everything going on in his life. They'd sit right next to each other as Harry poured everything to her while she held his hand to comfort him. They stayed up so late most nights that they would just curl up together and fall asleep right there on the couch.

Hermione noticed yet another letter for her on the couch. She grabbed it and sat down, opening it slowly. She smiled to herself as she saw another handwriting message.

_Our couch. It always will be ours. I realized long ago that I wouldn't want to sit on that couch and tell my fears, my pain, my worries, my problems to anyone else. I poured my entire heart to you Hermione. And you never once did anything that would make me not want to tell you everything. You held onto me when I needed you, offered supportive words when I was down, listened to me when I didn't need words. You were there when they told me, remember? I knew it was coming, you were hugging me, and they came in and told me I had one hour. I'll never forget the look on your face. Remember who came with Professor Dumbledore to tell me and you've got your next and second-to-last destination._

Hermione couldn't hold the tears in. She just laid down on the couch, trying to compose herself. She'd never forget that moment, no matter how much she wanted to. Harry told her he knew it was soon, and he was scared. He tried to stay strong, but she could tell he was so worried he wouldn't make it. She spoke quietly to him, telling him what he needed to hear. She held his hand, tears swelling in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as she could, never wanting to let go. They didn't even break apart when they heard the door open and footsteps stop upon entering the room. They finally pulled away, only to meet Professor Dumbledore's teary eyes. Hermione had never before seen her professor cry. He tried to speak but Harry nodded, saying he knew why they were there.

Hermione started crying when he muttered that he had an hour to say goodbye. Harry cupped her face and kissed her forehead, promising he would try his hardest to come back to her. He held her and comforted, not letting her go, even when saying goodbye to everyone else, until he finally had to leave. He hugged her tightly again, kissed both of her cheeks and her forehead, and wiped her tears away. He held her hand until he had to let go to take another step, and they watched each other until he left to face his destiny.

Hermione wiped her fresh tears away, thinking about who the other person was who told him. She quickly sat up as she remembered. Professor Snape…he had helped train Harry so much throughout seventh year, and while they never became what Harry and Professor Dumbledore were, Hermione always knew they both held a very high respect for each other. He had after all been standing right next to Harry when they headed for the war.

Hermione bolted out of the room, hurrying to Professor Snape's office. She quickly knocked on the door, relieved after it finally opened, and her old professor stood in front of her.

"Well I was wondering when you were finally going to get here. Took you longer than I thought it would. Well, don't just stand there…" he moved so she could enter the room, "…I imagine you want your last part."

She walked in and smiled, noticing that yet again, nothing had changed. She turned to look back at Snape, who didn't need a smile on his face to show his amusement in this whole thing. "So how is the top student of the last three years? I imagine you know this, but we still haven't had a student to date that every beat your scores. Always had to be the best didn't you?"

She smiled and scoffed. "Some things never change." She could have sworn she saw a small smile appear on his face. He walked over to her and sat on a desk. She sat down on the one right next to his.

"Alright, you're little adventure is about to come to an end. Here's the very last thing that will lead you to your final destination. You've been all over the castle, exploring past places and people, digging up old memories that you may have forgotten. Sometimes you need to take a trip down memory lane so you don't forget the past. Whether through pictures or just remembering, memories are the only things that will never leave you. So here's the riddle: If you had to go to one place to remember everything, where would you go?" Hermione hesitated, completely confused. Snape rolled his eyes and sighed. "Come on girl use your brain! There's only one possible answer to it…think about the question!"

Hermione just stared at him. "Ok…one place to remember everything…well I'd need like pictures or other things to help me remember…so it'd have to be somewhere where I'd have everything I needed…wait…anything I needed…"

She smiled as she finally realized it. Snape rolled his eyes again, a slight smile on his lips. "Finally…didn't you used to be a know-it-all Miss Granger? Tsk tsk that took far too long." He finally smiled a true smile.

Hermione practically leaped at him, wrapping him in a hug she never thought she'd give him. He tensed but chuckled. "Alright, alright get out of my class."

She laughed and ran as fast as she could to the Room of Requirement. She stopped suddenly upon reaching the wall where the room would soon appear, gasping as she realized she wasn't sure what she needed to get in. _I need to go to my final destination. _She walked back and forth three times by the wall, frowning when the room didn't appear. _Ok…I need someplace to help me remember everything._ She walked by the wall three more times, becoming very irritated when it didn't work yet again. She sighed and thought as hard as she could, pacing as she thought. _I need…I need Harry. _Suddenly, the door to the room appeared. Hermione slowly walked to the door, lightly touching the door handle. She took a deep breath and turned the knob, slowly entering the room.

Hermione gasped as she looked around. There was a huge fire going with a big comfy couch resting near it. In the middle of the room was a beautifully set table with candles burning in the middle and some very delicious looking food on both plates. Tears began swelling in her eyes as she looked at the walls. Tons upon tons of pictures were moving about on every inch of the walls. As she looked closer, she realized it was all the memories of her past she spent at Hogwarts. She got closer to tears as she saw all her old friends, teachers, and favorite places reminding her of everything that had happened throughout her time.

Hermione smiled as she saw her favorite thing in the whole room. Harry had his back turned to her, standing and staring in the fire. Her smile grew even bigger when he finally turned around and looked at her. "Hi."

She couldn't speak. She just stared at him as he walked over to her with a single red rose, smiling. He bent down and kissed her cheek. Harry wiped the single tear that had fallen from her eyes with his thumb, tracing her face as he went. "Hermione, I've missed your past three birthdays because of the dumbest mistake I've ever made. And every year, I've nearly gone mad because I couldn't be there with you. I thought of you every second of everyday, from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep, every moment in between, and every single dream. I left you three years ago, and I promise you that I'm going to spend the rest of my life making that up to you."

Hermione did the only sensible thing she could think of…she grabbed Harry and kissed him hard on his lips. Harry, caught completely off-guard, laughed to himself after the shock wore off. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her as close as possible. They stayed like that as long as they possibly could, not wanting to break the kiss. They both finally pulled away, both smiling. Hermione chuckled softly and placed a hand on Harry's cheek.

"And I'll never stop you." Harry stared at her, smiling as he understood, and bent down and kissed her again.

**Author's Note: Wow this chapter took forever to write. I hope you like it…very fluffy! Isn't Harry the greatest? I think he is! A huge, super-duper, gigantic thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions for my word issue (did you figure out which word?)! It was so hard to choose; I got tons of great ones! I ended up using one sent by Stephanie so any extra big thank-you to her! Thanks everyone!**


	19. Without a Fight

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Nineteen: Without a Fight**

Hermione woke up the next morning to a pair of lips on her own, a hand on her cheek, and the smell of eggs and chocolate. She smiled against Harry's lips, automatically kissing him back. He pulled away, and she opened her eyes to see her favorite person.

Harry pouted and pointed a finger at her. "Now Miss Granger what if that was a strange person who just came in and decided to kiss such a pretty lady? How did you know it was me huh?"

Hermione threw her head back against the pillow and laughed. "Because Mister Potter, I can easily tell your kisses from anyone else's. It's fairly easy actually."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Really? And exactly how are my kisses different?" He looked slightly worried at what her answer might be, causing Hermione to smile and lean closer to him. She snaked her hand around his head, kissing him. She pulled away, grinning.

"Because you're the greatest kisser I've ever kissed." Harry smiled and kissed her again, deeper than the previous times. Harry pulled away and met her eyes. A look of pain dashed across his eyes for a moment, vanishing just as fast as it appeared. Hermione saw it for the slight moment it was there and looked at Harry, concerned. "You ok?"

Harry smiled. "Yeah I'm fine. Here I brought you breakfast. Sorry it isn't the greatest thing in the world…"

Hermione smiled at him. She sat up and looked at the tray, laughing as she looked at the food on it. There were eggs, scrambled just the way she liked them, and two bowls of Coca Puffs. Harry blushed as she laughed. She reached up and kissed his cheek, motioning for him to join her on the bed. He smiled and brought the tray around, sitting next to Hermione on the other side of the bed. Hermione looked around the room for the first time and gasped.

"Harry…we slept in here last night? We didn't go home?" Harry laughed and handed her a bowl.

"No you remember? We got really tired and wanted to sleep so a bed appeared and we just figured we might as well bunk out here for the night?" Hermione smiled and nodded as she remembered the previous night. They had stayed up pretty much all night talking on the couch by the fire until they could barely keep their eyes open. A bed appeared so they moved over and laid down, falling asleep almost instantly. They both ate their breakfast fairly fast, discussing what to do that day. They finally decided on spending the day shopping in Hogsmeade, just like they used to at school.

They quickly exited the school after breakfast; thankfully everyone was still at breakfast. They both headed back to their separate homes, getting ready to meet again to shop. Hermione finally arrived back at Harry's place, where Harry had been waiting for a few moments. They headed out and entered Hogsmeade an hour and a half after leaving Hogwarts.

Harry grabbed Hermione's hand as they walked through the magical stores surrounding them. "Where to first?"

Hermione thought about it and shrugged. "I don't know. It's been a while since I've been here. Any place you want to go?"

Harry shrugged too. "It's been a while for me too." He laughed as they passed the old bookstore Hermione loved. She automatically looked at it but didn't say anything. He led her over to it, despite her complaints.

"No Harry it's ok. We don't…" Harry laughed at her again as he opened the door. She smiled and kissed his cheek, walking in still holding Harry's hand. Hermione was in heaven, shopping around, going down isle after isle, Harry following. He kept smiling at how cute she was; he always thought her little obsession with books was cute. Hermione finally picked out a book, purchased it, and led Harry out the door. "Thanks for going in there with me. Ok so I've picked, where to next?"

Harry thought about it, finally deciding where he wanted to go, laughing as it came to him. "Hermione…you've never been to Zonko's, have you?"

Hermione bit her lower lip and shook her head. "You guys always went there while I went to the bookstore. I take it that's where you want to go?"

Harry hesitated, as though he didn't want to go unless she was ok. Hermione smiled and squeezed his hand. "Well, there's a first time for everything!"

Harry smiled and led the way. They finally arrived and he nearly jumped for joy. He grinned at Hermione, causing her to laugh and led her inside. She shook her head as she entered, knowing now that this was truly a young boy's perfect place. Anything needed for pranks or jokes could be found, from things that exploded to fake hands that moved on their own. Hermione laughed as she followed Harry, who was just like a little kid again. Zonko's was more packed than the bookstore, and as the time went on, all of Hogsmeade got more and more crowded.

After the left, they noticed it must have been a weekend for Hogwarts students to visit the village. Everywhere they looked they could see the students in their House colors, laughing with friends and shopping around. As soon as they exited, a group of girls gasped and swirled around Harry, begging for an autograph from the famous wizard. Harry laughed and signed whatever they asked, more students coming near and asking for one as well. After Harry had signed about twenty-five to thirty autographs, he smiled and grabbed Hermione's hand again, blushing. "Sorry…I haven't learned to say 'no' yet."

Hermione laughed. "They admire you Harry. I think it's sweet that you're willing to sign autographs. Most people wouldn't have the patience." Harry looked at her, stopped in front of the Three Broomsticks. He leaned in close to her, right about to kiss her when a hand appeared on his shoulder, making him look at none other than Sarah.

"I'd love an autograph too Mister Potter." She batted her eyelashes at him, looking at Hermione with a fake smiled. "That is of course is you don't mind…oh…what's you name again?"

Hermione returned a smile. "Hermione. And no, Harry can sign an autograph." Sarah glared at her while Hermione just slipped her hand through Harry's. Harry bent down and gave her a quick kiss, causing Sarah to become positively pissed.

"Well aren't you too the cutest thing. Isn't it just wonderful that our Harry here is so much better? I mean…" she stared at Hermione. "…well enough to take care of himself again?"

Hermione didn't know how to answer, but she didn't have to worry about it. A little first year girl walked slowly over to Harry, glancing at him quickly, looking down at her feet when Harry looked at her. "Excuse M-Mister Potter, but I was wondering…would you mind signing this for me? That is, if you don't mind, if your busy it's ok."

Harry looked at the book and laughed. It was a copy of one of his biographies. "I'd love to sign it for you. And my name's Harry. What's you name sweetheart?"

She turned beat red. "Hannah. I'm not like a weirdo or something…I'm doing a report on you for Defense Against the Dark Arts Class. That's why I have the book so I could do research." She looked at Hermione quickly and did a double take. "Oh my gosh…are you Hermione Granger from the Golden Trio?"

Hermione blushed. "Yeah that's me."

Hannah's eyes got big. "Oh my! Wow, I never thought I'd get to meet you, especially not you and Harry at the same time! Would you mind signing my book too?" Harry laughed and started signing her book as Hermione talked to her.

"Sure. What's the project you have to do?" Harry finished his message and handed the book to Hermione, who started trying to figure out what to write, seeing as how this was her first autograph.

"We have to pick who we think the most powerful wizard or witch is to us. Mostly everyone in my class is doing you." She looked at Harry who blushed.

Hermione laughed and finally started writing. "So you picked Harry too?"

"Well, not exactly. I actually did you both." Harry and Hermione looked at each other for a minute. "I remember whenever we talked about Harry in class and everything he went through, it seemed like you were always there to help him. So I figure you guys were like a team that was more powerful than anybody! So I did you two together."

Sarah scoffed. "Please…sorry to break it to you, but you've got it wrong. Harry's the strongest; he doesn't need anyone there to 'help' him. You're like project almost makes him seem weak hun."

Hannah looked like she could cry. Hermione glared at Sarah, ready to beat her ass. Harry, on the other hand, looked at Hannah and smiled. "Don't listen to her. She just got really confused…I think you might be too smart for her sweetie." Hannah giggled. "It just went straight over her head. And hey, for reference…you're project is going to blow the others away. You've got it exactly right."

Hannah's eyes got bigger and bigger. "Really?" Harry smiled at her.

"Yup. I was always better with Hermione around. You're just going to be too smart for the world sweetie. Oh no…" he grinned at Hermione. "…you might even be smarter than Hermione was at your age!" Hannah gasped.

"You think so? Because she was really smart!" Harry and Hermione both laughed and nodded. Hermione handed her book back to her.

"Definitely. Good luck on your project!" Hannah thanked them both and ran off, a huge grin on her face. Harry turned and smiled as she went, Hermione doing the same thing. Harry turned to Sarah and stepped toward her. 

"You do not need to be so rude to people you know. That was way out of line." With that he led Hermione into the Three Broomsticks, sitting her down at a table for two and ordering Butterbeers for them. He ran a hand through his hair. "Uh she's so irritating sometimes!"

Hermione smiled. "How long did you two date?"

Harry laughed. "Honestly, about a month. Actually…exactly a month. I broke it off on our one-month anniversary, which, according to Miss Sarah was a 'very assholish thing to do.' Is assholish a word?"

Hermione laughed. "I don't think so babe." Harry looked at her and leaned over the table, giving her a quick kiss. Hermione noticed something weird about it. "Harry, are you ok? There's something different about you today."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. "I have to leave for a little while." He sighed again, looking at Hermione. "It's for work…I'm going to Scotland to help settle a dispute between Purebloods and Muggleborns. I won't be gone too long, maybe a week or so. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just found out yesterday, and I didn't want to ruin your birthday."

Hermione just stared at him, unsure of what to say. She knew he would be coming back but it still bothered her. They'd been away from each other for three years; after they met back up, she realized she'd put up the hardest fight of her life if they ever had to be parted again. She mentally slapped herself, knowing she was being selfish and rude; it was his job after all. He couldn't do anything about it. Finally she decided to break the silence and ask the only thing she could think about. "When do you leave?"

Harry reached over and held her hand. "Tomorrow. I refused to leave yesterday, since it was your birthday, but I have to leave tomorrow. I'm really sorry."

Hermione chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "It's fine; at least you aren't going to face Voldemort this time." She smiled and kissed him. "Just be safe and get home as soon as you can."

Harry smiled and kissed her again. "I'll be safer than safe. Feel free to come over to my place at anytime; hell you can sleep there every night if you want. Dobby knows it's ok."

Harry kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand. Hermione smiled. "I'm going to miss you."

Harry looked deep into her eyes. "So much."

**Author's Note: Just so you guys know, I'm trying to make my chapters longer. I just feel like they're short. If you don't like it, or if I'm over doing it and getting away from my writing, please let me know in a review. I write these for you; let me know how you want it!**


	20. Visitors A Plenty

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

Chapter Twenty: Visitors A Plenty 

Harry had been gone three days and it was killing Hermione. She had gotten a message from him once he got there, saying he was safe and would be home in eight days. And, to Hermione's disappointment, he would be unable to contact her until he got back.

Hermione had laughed when she received it; it was sent straight to Harry's place instead of her own. She had been staying at his place since he left, staying all day and night. She went to sleep every night in his bed, engulfing herself with his pillow and dreaming that he was sleeping right next to her.

Since she had a day off of work, Hermione had no idea what to do. She and Harry usually scheduled their days off together. She slept in late and took the morning slow. She changed into her bathing suit, deciding to tan by the lake. She had just turned back over on her stomach when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She gasped and turned over, hoping to see Harry.

"Sorry…didn't mean to startle you." Jack smiled kindly at her. "I was just coming over when I looked over here and saw you." He looked all around, finally turning back to her. "Where's Harry at?"

"Scotland for work. He'll back later this week." She realized she wasn't smiling. She stood up and wrapped a towel around her waist. "What can I do for you?"

Jack chuckled. "Well as dumb as it may be I need a cup of sugar. I only have about a third of the amount I need." She smiled and motioned for him to follow her.

"Let's see what's at the house." They walked in silence up the hill until Jack cleared his throat. "So how long have you known Harry?"

Hermione smiled and shut her eyes. "Since we were eleven. We were best friends until we were about eighteen."

He put his hands in his pockets. "What happened?"

She sighed and lost her smiled. "He and I got into a big fight. We didn't talk for about three and half years. Then we met back up again a few months ago and picked it back up."

"That sucks that you guys lost so many years together. Bet it wasn't fun."

She nodded. "It was so hard. But it's great now. He's the best."

They finally reached the house, Dobby quickly opening the door as he saw them coming. "Hello Miss Hermione." He then turned to Jack, his smiling becoming less friendly. "What can Dobby do for Miss?"

Hermione smiled. "Do you have any sugar Jack could have?" Dobby nodded and they stepped inside. Dobby headed toward the kitchen while Hermione and Jack waited by the door. Jack looked all around.

"He's got a really nice place. It's so big; bet it cost a lot." Hermione laughed.

"Not like money's an issue for him anyway. His parents left him completely loaded, not to mention the money he makes now." Jack nodded.

"He's an Auror, isn't he?"

Hermione nodded and smiled. "The best." Jack chose to not comment and kept looking around. He turned back to her and cleared his throat.

"Uh…I wanted to apologize for how I acted by the lake that one day. I wasn't very polite to you and I'm sorry."

Hermione was taken back. After a moment she smiled. "It's ok. Don't mention it." They smiled and after too long Dobby came out with some sugar. Jack thanked Hermione and Dobby and said goodbye. Hermione was surprised by how he had acted; Harry hadn't seemed to like the guy too much, yet he seemed to be a gentlemen. She just shrugged it off, heading upstairs to shower.

* * *

There wasn't even a knock at the door; someone just rushed into the house, calling out Harry's name the whole time. Hermione hurried downstairs, sighing as she saw Dobby standing in front of Sarah. "Miss can not just barge into Mr. Harry's house like this! Miss is way out of line and needs to leave now!"

She threw her head back and laughed. "Shut it elf."

Hermione leaned against the base of the stairs. "Now, now what would 'baby' think of you if he knew you were talking to Dobby like that?" Sarah turned and glared at a smiling Hermione, who turned to Dobby. "It's ok Dobby I can handle this."

Dobby glared at Sarah again, bowing to Hermione. Hermione strode over and sat on a chair near Sarah, who was still fuming. "What can I do for you Sarah?"

"Where is he?"

Hermione couldn't hold her smile but kept her gaze. "He's in Scotland for work. What can I do for you?"

Sarah scoffed and walked over to her. "Look, you may think you have him wrapped around your little finger but you don't. So what are you for…the money or the fame?"

Hermione laughed. "Well, while both are nice to have, I personally prefer his good looks." Sarah got right in her face.

"He's mine. He will always be mine…get used to it."

Hermione laughed again and rolled her eyes. "You might want to check with Harry before you start talking about him 'being yours.' Just some advice."

Sarah just smiled at her. "You're just a little toy; one he'll get over with as soon as he knows that. Haven't you learned that by now?"

Hermione stood up and walked toward Sarah, who looked very worried. "Look bitch…you can hate my guts and I could care less. Hell you want to kick my ass, let's go." Sarah's eyes got bigger. "But I will not have you screw with Harry. If you can't appreciate the guy he is, stay the hell away from him before you hurt him."

Sarah tried to seem cocky but Hermione smiled, seeing the fear in her eyes. "Are you threatening me you cheap little whore?"

Hermione smiled bigger. "Yes I am. Learn it fast bitch. Now I will not ask you again…what the hell do you want?"

Sarah stepped back, throwing a piece of paper on the ground. "There's a big event at the local club he and I love together. I want him to go. Tell him to be there…and don't worry about coming yourself…" She dropped her voice. "…I'll take better care of him than you will."

She rushed out the front door as fast as she could. Hermione sighed and rubbed her eyes, bending down to pick up the paper. She didn't bother to read it, just set it on the table next to the door. She'd let Harry decide if he wanted to go or not.

Hermione rushed upstairs, throwing herself on Harry's bed, taking in his scent and wishing more than anything that he was home right then.

**Author's Note: Do not panic, I repeat do not panic…Harry's coming back next chapter! I missed writing about him. Haha and I have a very fun idea…**


	21. Period

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Twenty-One: Period**

Hermione could've jumped out of her skin; one more day and Harry would be home! She did anything and everything to try and make the day go faster. She tried to keep herself busy, but no matter what she did, she would constantly look at the closest clock. She finally gave up and just relaxed, realizing tomorrow would come when it came.

Dobby popped his head into Harry's room, noticing Hermione was pacing yet again. He stayed where he was but cleared his throat. "Miss Hermione lunch is ready. Would Miss like Dobby to bring Miss's lunch up to Mr. Harry's room?" Hermione jumped and quit pacing, calming down after she saw it was Dobby.

"Um…no actually. Would it be all right if I ate in the kitchen? It'll just be me otherwise and it's too quiet." Dobby had a huge smile on his face.

"We House Elves would love having Miss in the kitchen! Come, come!" He jumped up and headed out the door, causing Hermione to laugh. She quickly followed him, still smiling. She walked into the kitchen, all the elves turning their attention to her, causing her to blush. Dobby stood proud and announced her. "Miss Hermione is eating in the kitchen!"

All the House Elves had big eyes and even bigger smiles. Hermione blushed even more and laughed nervously. "Hello."

Dobby led her over to a seat and grabbed her lunch. Hermione laughed, noticing yet again how much the House Elves love working hard to keep Harry's guests happy. She had a large bowl of cheesy potato soup and a big veggie sandwich, just the way she liked it. Dobby stared at her when she took her first bite, almost as though praying it would be better than he thought I was.

Hermione's mouth watered as always and she smiled. "Yet again, it's very, very delicious. You are great cooks, I can tell you that." Dobby smiled.

"Thank-you Miss Hermione. We House Elves are glad to please Mr. Harry and his guests." Hermione smiled, continuing to eat the delicious food. Dobby was about to walk away when Hermione stopped him.

"Hey Dobby, what's it like to work for Harry?' Dobby turned and beamed, obviously very proud to talk about Harry.

"Oh Mr. Harry is just wonderful to us House Elves. We House Elves get treated very well. We get paid if we wish, the work is simple, and we even get time off if we want! Dobby was Mr. Harry's first House Elf and Dobby doesn't want pay. Dobby is proud enough to serve the great Mr. Harry Potter without money!"

Hermione smiled. Just like Harry to pay and be the best to even House Elves. Dobby noticed she was smiling so he smiled too. "Mr. Harry talked about Miss Hermione before she came back. Mr. Harry was always upset, even if Mr. Harry wouldn't show it. He always missed his Miss Hermione."

Hermione cracked a tiny smile. "It was mutual. Wait…he used to talk about me?"

Dobby smiled and started nodding. "Miss Hermione was always talked about. Mr. Harry would even talk to Dobby about Miss Hermione. Dobby has never seen Mr. Harry this happy since Dobby worked at Hogwarts!"

Hermione just sat there, unsure of what to do next. She knew Harry had missed her; he had told her that. But hearing it from someone else who had been with Harry practically everyday was just a totally different feeling. Dobby just kept his smiling. "Thank-you Miss Hermione for making Mr. Harry so happy. We House Elves are very happy that Miss and Mr. Harry are back together."

Hermione looked at the smiling elf and chuckled. "Thanks Dobby. That really means a lot to me. I'm glad I can make Harry happy. I hope I always can."

Dobby turned to walk away, stopping after a few steps. "Miss always will. Mr. Harry isn't happy unless Miss is around." Hermione just sat there, stunned by his words, truly unsure of what to do. She thought of Harry and a smile grew on her face. She finally finished eating, trying to figure out what else to do to try to waste time.

* * *

Harry had never been so happy to see his home. He rushed into the house, hoping to be able to see Hermione. He had no idea if she was there or not, but he couldn't wait to find out. He dropped his stuff by the door, looking up when he heard a noise, seeing Dobby's tiny head poke out of the kitchen door. Dobby just looked at Harry and smiled. "Mr. Harry sir! Welcome home!"

Harry smiled and looked around the room. "Thanks Dobby…it's so great to finally be home. Everything here go ok? No problems?"

Dobby didn't lose his smile for a second. "No sir…Mr. Parker from next door and Miss Burk came to Mr. Harry's house but Miss Hermione took care of them."

Harry's eyes light up. "Hermione was here? Did she stay here often?" Dobby's smile grew even larger.

"Yes Mr. Harry sir. Miss Hermione never left. Miss is upstairs in Mr. Harry's room now." Harry looked upstairs, smiled at Dobby, and basically ran upstairs. He stopped briefly at the open door that led to his bedroom, just peering inside. He smiled as he noticed a sleeping Hermione lying peaceful on her side, hugging his pillow. He just leaned against the doorframe for a few moments, taking her in.

Harry finally walked over to the bed, softly lying behind her, facing the same direction she was. He carefully wrapped his arm around her waist, resting his head on his other elbow. He moved her hair and planted small, gentle kisses on her neck. She stirred slightly, very slowly opening her eyes. She turned her head, gasping as she saw Harry, who just smiled at her. "Hi beautiful."

Hermione could've killed him. She sat up and wrapped him in the biggest hug she could. "How long have you been here?" He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"I just got here. I really didn't want to wake you. I'm sorry." It was Hermione's turn to chuckle. She pulled away and just looked at him.

"I would've kicked your ass if I had to wait to see you one more day." She smiled and hugged him again. "I'm so glad you're home. I missed you so much."

Harry kissed her cheek and smiled. "You have no idea. So what did I miss here?" Hermione laughed.

"Not much…I got to meet Jack again. He seems like a pretty nice guy." Harry didn't say anything, but Hermione could tell he wasn't the happiest. "Is that ok?"

Harry snapped out of it. "Yeah that's fine. I'm just not sure about the guy. Not to be the jealousy boyfriend or anything…" He winked at her, making her blush. "…there's just something about him I don't like. But if you think he's a nice guy, I'll take your word for it. Just be careful around him ok? For me?" She smiled and nodded.

"Sarah stopped by too. Now that's a person I don't trust." Harry sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair. "There's some event happening at the club you really like. I don't know what it is, I thought you could decide if you wanted to go or not. Sarah's after you, Harry. She wants you back really bad."

Surprisingly, Harry just smiled, causing Hermione to get rather scared. "Well she'll have to learn that she can't have me. I'm yours. Period." Hermione just smiled and hugged him again. Harry pulled out of the hug and kissed her. She smiled against his lips, glad to be able to do it again, knowing she could now, whenever she wanted.


	22. 17229

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Twenty-Two: $172.29**

Harry and Hermione wouldn't have gotten out of bed if the house had caught fire. They spent most of the day talking and holding each other. Harry's time away was hard on both of them, so they wanted to make sure they made it up. After they spent several hours lounging around, they decided to go to the club to see this big event for themselves.

Hermione was excited, at least until they reached the club. Sarah had been one who told them about this and Hermione sure as hell didn't trust her. Harry sensed she was worried and held her hand. "Ready to have fun babe?"

Hermione smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips. She squeezed his hand and nodded as he led the way inside. The club looked exactly the same. It was a busy night; the whole room was filled with muggles looking at something on the stage. Hermione and Harry looked at the stage and saw a podium with two guys on the stage. One guy was blushing like mad as girls screamed out random numbers.

Hermione laughed and Harry's jaw dropped. Harry squeezed her hand and stared at her. "Hermione…this is a guy auction! Do you have any idea what this means?"

Hermione laughed even harder and winked at him. "Good thing I brought muggle money!" Harry stared at her confused. He gasped and shook his head when he finally understood what she meant.

"No, no, no, no, no, no…"It was too late. Girls already saw him as a handsome victim and forced him onto the stage. The guy dealing the bids smiled at him.

"Alright ladies, here's out next lucky guy! What's the first bid?"

Hermione was laughing so hard she could barely talk. "Twenty bucks!"

Girls all around laughed and clapped as poor Harry turned beat red. The guy running the bids clapped too. "Alright, bidding starts at twenty dollars. Do I have twenty-five?"

"Thirty dollars." Everyone turned to look at none other than Sarah. Hermione resisted the urge to go over and beat the bejesus out of her. That's why she wanted Harry to come! She wanted to win him. Well Hermione, being the good girlfriend she was, knew she couldn't let this happen.

"Forty."

Sarah looked at her and scoffed. "Forty-five. You think you're going to beat me?"

Hermione didn't hesitate at all. "Fifty." She turned to Sarah and grinned. "Let's go." Everyone in the audience became very intrigued with the battle that was taking place. Harry stood, unable to see either of them or do anything except pray Hermione won.

"Sixty!"

"Seventy!"

"Seventy-five!"

"Eighty!"

"One hundred! Ha beat that!" Harry began to silently panic as silence came from Hermione's direction. Sarah let out a squeal of excitement.

The bidder, who had secretly been rooting for Hermione, sighed. "One hundred dollars, going once…"

"One hundred seventy-two dollars and twenty-nine cents." Gasps came from all over the room, including the stage. Harry turned to the bidder, hoping he'd say Harry was sold before Sarah could throw in a bid.

"Alright well I think that little lady wants this guy bad, don't you all agree? Sold!" Everyone in the room, with the exception of Sarah, erupted into cheering. Harry sighed deeply and smiled. Hermione rushed forward toward the stage to get Harry, who had other plans. He jumped off the stage and ran to Hermione, grabbing her face and kissing her right in the middle of the crowd. Everyone cheered even louder, causing them to laugh against each other's lips. They broke apart and headed to the door, feeling like a million bucks.

Before they reached the door, there was a hand on Hermione's shoulder that flung her around. She stood face to face with a fuming and positively pissed off Sarah. "How dare you take him from me!" Sarah swung at Hermione's face full force, but Hermione was quicker. She grabbed Sarah's hand and threw her into a headlock before anyone knew what was going on.

"Alright, look bitch. You really need to get over this obsession you've got going on with Harry. You had him and you were stupid enough to lose him. Stay away from us and stop being such a damn whore!" Sarah struggled against her, but Hermione held her head tightly in place. "Don't struggle, you're not getting away until I decide. Stop tormenting Harry and I and move on. Now, next time your skanky ass tries to interfere with Harry and me, I will personally kick your ass so hard you will have a permanent bed at a local hospital. Now," Hermione slowly released a little pressure from the headlock. "I'm going to let you go and you're going to stay here while Harry and I go enjoy the rest of the evening."

Hermione let Sarah go, who stepped away from Hermione and held her neck. She glared at Hermione, then turned to Harry with pathetic eyes. "You really want her? She's insane!"

Harry looked at Hermione and smiled. "Yeah I want her." Hermione smiled as Sarah charged at her once again, screaming as loud as she could. In one swift movement, Hermione twisted Sarah's arm behind her head and flung her clear over her shoulder. Sarah landed with a loud thud on the floor, trying to move as little as possible.

The entire crowd, who had been on Hermione's side the entire argument, burst into another set of applause. Sarah, pissed off more than she ever had been, stood with great difficulty and headed straight to the bathroom. Harry stared at Hermione in awe, his mouth slightly open. Hermione blushed and grabbed Harry's hand, rushing out of the club. They kept walking, Harry still completely stunned. He finally stopped and pulled her toward him, kissing her right on the lips.

After a few moments, they both parted. Harry just laughed. "Where…in the hell…did you learn to do that?" Hermione laughed and blushed again.

"Well, my dad took this muggle defensive art called Judo for 21 years. He put me in it when I was little so I could protect myself. Even after I went to Hogwarts my dad would teach me stuff over the summer. It can come in handy."

Harry chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I guess it can. That was seriously very sexy back there. I mean…damn!" Hermione laughed as Harry put his arm over her shoulder. They walked around for sometime, just talking and having a great time. They easily forgot about the time; it didn't matter to them. It never really had…for them, time was just there to be there. It held no significance or importance in their life together.

They still had not let go of each other even after the arrived back at Harry's. Since it was such a lovely night, they just sat on the swing on the porch, Hermione's head in Harry's lap. They just sat in silence for the longest time; speech, at times, was exactly like time…not important. The other's presence was good enough for them. Harry stroked Hermione's hair and chuckled.

"Why didn't we ever date in school? We didn't really need to, I mean hell we were close enough for it to seem that way, but why didn't we ever make it official?"

Hermione laughed. "Simple…" She turned over and laid on her back, looking up at him. "…you never asked me out."

Harry grinned that great Potter grin Hermione loved so much. "If I had asked you out, would you have said yes?"

Hermione sighed. "I don't know. I would've had to think about it. I mean…we were different back then. I loved you as always but it was different. Plus you had so much on your plate."

Harry laughed. "Voldemort always seemed to screw everything up didn't he?" They both chuckled lightly. "I'm just glad that nightmare's over. By the way…I never thanked you for being there for me throughout everything. You were always the best at that."

Hermione sat up and took a good look at him. "You're very welcome." She smiled and kissed him. She pulled away after a moment and bit her lower lip. Harry chuckled again and kissed her cheek.

"What is it? You ok?" Hermione nervously smiled at him.

"I have a favor to ask you. This weekend, my family is having a reunion type thingy ma-jigger and I was wondering, you don't have to I mean I don't want to put pressure on you but if you wanted to go it'd be fun but if you don't want to…"

Harry laughed and kissed her. "You are so cute when you're nervous did I ever tell you that?" Hermione smiled and blushed. "I'd love to go and meet your family."

"But it's the whole family! And they're like…crazy! I mean like crazy. Not like truly crazy but they're so weird! My uncle Mike, for example, was born in Japan and he wants to get 'made in Japan' printed on his butt!"

Harry burst into laughter. "That's awesome! Did he do it or does he just want to?"

Hermione just looked at him oddly. "He just wants to. My grandma says she'll disown him if he does it though. Are you sure you want to meet them all?"

Harry nodded and kissed her forehead. "I'd love to. I bet they're all great. I can't wait." He leaned in to kiss her but stopped halfway. "Hey…was I really worth that much money?" Hermione just smiled and kissed him again, holding this one longer than the previous ones.

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long! Summer's been somewhat hectic lately but very good. Just for future chapters, everything involving the Granger family comes from my true family. (I do have an uncle Mike who was born in Japan and wants that tattoo!) So it's going to be a little weird! Hopefully it'll be up soon. **


	23. The Granger Family Reunion

My Heart Belongs To You…Again

**Chapter Twenty-Three: The Granger Family Reunion**

The Granger Family reunion finally arrived, and as Harry and Hermione stood in the driveway of her parent's house, Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and faced him. "Are you absolutely sure you want to meet the all of the Granger's? It's going to be a very weird day, I promise."

Harry laughed and kissed her. "If I love your weirdness so much, why shouldn't I meet the people who made you that way?" Hermione glared at him, but Harry just kissed her again. "Oh yeah, by the way…no magic today right?" Hermione nodded. Harry smiled and started pulling her up the driveway. "Well come on already!" Hermione laughed and quickened her pace to match his.

"Hermione!" A herd of little kids came running up and all crowded around a smiling Hermione, exchanging hugs and kisses. After everyone got a hug, they all stared at Harry. A little boy looked at Hermione. "Who is he?"

Hermione smiled and grabbed Harry's hand. "This is Harry."

The girls all giggled. "Is he your boooooooyfriend?" They made sure to put a large emphasis on 'boyfriend' causing Harry to laugh. Hermione just rolled her eyes.

"Yes girls he is." They all giggled again as the boys just stared at them. They all looked back at Harry, staring hard at what Harry knew was his scar.

One little girl spoke very cautiously. "Not to be nosy, but what's that on your head?" Harry laughed; even Muggles noticed his scar quickly. He kneeled down in front of them and moved his hair.

All the kids gasped and many uttered a 'wow'. "I was in accident when I was just a baby and I got this."

"It's exactly like a thunder bolt." One of the older girls rolled her eyes.

"It's a lightning bolt stupid."

The boys all stared at her. "No, it's a thunder bolt, you dork!"

The girls all stared back. "No, thunder's the noise you retard!"

"So?"

"So it's actually a lightning bolt!"

"So what? Nerd!"

"Geek!"

"Dummy!"

"Dweeb!"

Hermione stepped in. "Enough!" They all stopped suddenly and completely forgot they were arguing. "Thank-you. Now, does anyone know where Aunt Lynn and Uncle John are?"

The oldest of the group, a boy who was no older than 12, pointed around the house. "All the adults are back there."

Hermione smiled and took Harry's hand. "Thanks Nick. Have fun you guys." The kids all took off, running around and just being completely like kids. Harry and Hermione headed off to the backyard. Hermione turned to look at Harry once they reached the door, but he just grinned. She sighed and slid the open, bracing herself as all the Grangers turned to them.

"Hermione!" She smiled and hugged her mom back, pulling away and giving her dad a kiss on the cheek. Other relatives ran up and they all exchanged hugs and such. She made her way back over and grabbed Harry's hand.

"Everybody, this is Harry Potter." Harry smiled and waved, hoping everyone would approve of him being with Hermione. She introduced everyone as Harry tried to remember the right name with the right face: John and Lynn, her parents, John's brother Mark and his wife Laura, his other brother Scott and his wife Nancy, his infamous brother Mike and his fiancée Sheryl, and his sister Missy, then Lynn's sister Deb with her husband Dave and her other sister Dianne and her husband Ed. Hermione also mentioned which kids belonged to whom but Harry didn't even attempt to remember that.

After Harry had been introduced, John came over and threw his arm around Harry's shoulder. "Now make sure you remember who's who, there'll be a quiz later on."

Everyone laughed and continued having fun. Lynn ran inside and got Harry and Hermione drinks while Hermione pulled Harry aside. "Doing ok so far? Don't worry about remembering everyone."

Harry laughed. "I've got most of the names with the faces but I didn't even attempt to remember kids. Hope that's extra credit on the quiz." Hermione smiled and he leaned over, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry about me, they seem absolutely wonderful." Hermione turned and started walking back to the party when Harry grabbed her arm. "What do I tell them my job is?"

Hermione smiled again, "Mom told everyone you're in charge of a police force in London. They're pretty much the Muggle equivalent to Aurors." Harry nodded and they headed back to join the fun.

* * *

"So how long have you and Hermione been together Harry?" Harry was sitting with the guys while Hermione and the other girls talked about Mike and Sheryl's wedding. Harry turned his attention away from Hermione and looked over at Mark. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Um…" Harry tried to figure out exactly how long but quickly gave up. "About 4 months. We've known each other since we were eleven though. We went to school together."

John laughed. "They were best friends all throughout school. Hermione would come home over breaks and the first thing she'd do was write Harry. Then pretty much every story she told us had him in it somehow."

Harry smiled, glad to hear that Hermione enjoyed having him in school with her as much as he enjoyed having her. Mike sighed. "Women…you meet one at a bar, play some pool, buy some drinks, next thing you know you're getting married!" He threw his hands in the air for dramatic effect. "I never thought I'd end up with you poor married souls, but here I am. Watch yourself Harry."

Harry laughed along with the others until John stood up. He walked over and casually leaned down next to Harry. "Can I have a word with you for just a minute?"

Harry nodded and followed John inside, taking a seat and trying hard not to be nervous. John must've noticed and laughed. "You're not in trouble Harry stay calm." He sat across from Harry and smiled. "Lynn and I always knew you were going to be a big thing in Hermione's life, but we also knew that was a very good thing." He looked over at a picture and Harry smiled. Hermione was about four and easily the cutest thing he'd ever seen. John looked back at Harry and smiled as he saw him staring at the picture. "You guys have any plans for the future yet?"

Harry turned and looked back at him. "Not yet. We're just enjoying where we are right now but…" He chuckled to himself. "I don't know. I honestly can't imagine my life without her and I don't want to. I just adore spending my time with her and I love being with her almost as much as I love her." As it flew out of his mouth without any resistance at all, he wasn't sure how John would take that bit of information.

To Harry's great relief, John's smile just grew. He slapped his knee and stood up, Harry standing also. John grasped his shoulder and headed back outside. "Just promise me you'll always take care of her. I can't imagine anyone better for her."

Harry stared at John and smiled. "Thank you." Hermione noticed them and walked over, hugging Harry.

"You boys behaving?" Harry smiled.

"Yes ma'am!" John laughed and headed over to his wife. Hermione looked up at Harry and kissed his chin.

"What'd you and Dad talk about?" Harry laughed and kissed her nose, holding her tighter.

"Nothing you need to worry about." The herd of kids came running into the backyard, spotting Harry and Hermione and grinning. Harry moved away from Hermione. "They're back!" He let out a battle cry and ran at the kids as they turned as one big group and ran in the opposite direction, yelling and screaming. Hermione and the others just laughed, their laughter growing louder as the kids turned on Harry and tackled him to the ground. Hermione leaned up against the house and watched, in her opinion, the most adorable guy in the world is just that: adorable.

Harry finally managed to stand up again and headed back over to the adults. He laughed and stood by Hermione, sighing. "Sorry they all attacked me earlier and I said I'd get them back."

Hermione laughed. "Sweetheart, I think you failed." Everyone laughed and Harry just rolled his eyes, chuckling.

Mike stormed up and looked Harry straight in the eye. "Alright Harry I've got one question...do you think it would be awesome if I got Japan tattooed on my butt if I was born in Japan?"

Harry just stared right back. "I think it'd be awesome. Hell, I'd probably cut holes in my pants so people could see it all the time."

Mike jumped and hugged Harry. He pulled away and shook his head. "I love this guy!" The rest of the family just rolled their eyes, completely used to Mike by now. Laura smiled.

"Well, I don't quite agree with the pants idea, but I must say that Harry definitely fits in with this bunch." Everyone laughed and nodded. Hermione just smiled, but Harry beamed. He chuckled lightly.

"Should I consider that a compliment or should I run away?" Everyone burst out laughing, not quite sure what the answer was.

The evening was growing darker and darker, and the reunion was slowly coming to an end. Harry and Hermione said good-bye, everyone inviting Harry back to the next one. Lynn grabbed Harry and threw him into a big hug. John smiled and embraced him, something that made Harry just smile. "Welcome to the family Harry." Hermione watched from afar, the biggest smile of the evening on her face. She hugged her parents, grabbed Harry's hand, and headed out of the door.

They walked down the driveway in silence until Hermione looked over at Harry; he was looking at the ground, thinking to himself. Before she could make sure he was ok, Harry grabbed her and hugged her tightly. Hermione just held him back, knowing she'd find out what was wrong, but also knowing it wasn't the time to ask. They just held each other for the longest time, Harry needing it and Hermione giving it.

Harry finally sighed and pulled away, just staring at her. "Thank-you."

Hermione looked at him, completely puzzled. "For what sweetie?"

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "For this. For letting me experience something a normal family does for once in my life."

Hermione just stood rooted where she was until the reality of what Harry said finally hit her. Harry had never had a family reunion. He'd never gotten to spend time with any sort of family that was actually his. He'd never even had his own family. "Harry I'm sorry if this-"

Harry looked up, his eyes piercing her own. "Don't apologize for it. It's not your fault I never had this, and if anything you make it easier to be ok with. You've got a great family and you have no idea how much it means to me that you shared them with me today."

Hermione smiled and hugged him again, holding him just as tight as before. "Well, they all think you're part of the family now." She pulled away and kissed his forehead. "Sorry you got a weird one." Harry finally laughed, a deep laugh that Hermione knew came from deep inside him.

Harry just shook his head and leaned over, kissing her lips which as much love and appreciation as he could. He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, whispering to her with his eyes close. "Move in with me."

Hermione opened her eyes and stared at his face. "What?" He finally opened his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Move in with me. Live with me. Be there next to me when I wake up, spend the day with me, and fall asleep next to me every night."

Hermione smiled. "Don't we already do that?" Harry chuckled.

"Do it officially. Move in with me. Please." Hermione smiled and kissed him.

"Only if you help me pack."

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry this has taken so long. I just stared high school a few weeks ago and it's been very different. I'll try my very best to make the updates more frequent! Hope you liked it…I hate to say it, but this story is coming to an end. There's lots more to come…it's just getting there. Not quite sure how many more chapters, but don't worry they'll be quite a few. Thanks for reading, hope it was up to par!**

**By the way…my family is really like that. We should all be put away for mental problems.**


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